Lullaby
by Bad Writer xD
Summary: Naruto accepts a proposition of a life time to take over the life of a boy that looks like him ... but he's rich. How will this affect his life; to be in the shoes of a rich boy? What secrets will he uncover in this new life? AU, OOC, and yaoi
1. Chapter 1

_**Author's Note:  
**_Hello, um … Well Lena told me to post this up and I am.  
I'm her cousin, so um … Hi! I guess I'm going to be _**THE**_ Bad Writer for a while.  
Ellie told me to tell you fans out there that she's coming back! She's currently trying to finish some chapters up, so don't worry.  
Hehehe, I got in touch with her, so I'm going to be pushing her to update faster, so don't worry!  
Enjoy! I own nothing concerning Naruto, so don't worry!

Lullaby

Chapter 1

"Kyuubi, are you sure you want to do this? Aren't you scared?" the one named Kyuubi raised his red eyes and stared up at the other through his short unruly blonde hair; acrimony clear in his eyes.

"What, you want me to stay here and die in this cesspool known as Konoha? Maybe you want me to wither away and die in this lie of a life I have here!" Kyuubi roared, spitting every ounce of hatred he had for the place in question.

"No Kyuubi, I'm just worried that you might be … oh I don't know … MURDERED out there alone!" The one questioning him murmured, glaring at him.

"Oh shut it Shukaku! It's not like I'm going to be gone forever. Just a few months, maybe even a year. Besides, you're coming with, ya dumbass." Kyuubi said with a smirk, brushing away his infuriating hair away from his face as his red eyes moved towards the other to take in what was Sabaku no Shukaku.

Shukaku was a dirty blonde whose hair was long unlike his; it reached the small of his back. He had a small blue tribal like kanji tattoo under his left eye meaning raccoon and piercing dark hazel eyes. He was a troublemaker; someone who he, as the son of the mayor, shouldn't be hanging around. But Kyuubi couldn't help himself.

"But what will your father say? He'd probably blame me for your disappearance and order a nationwide man hunt for my head!" Shukaku spat, watching as Kyuubi finally got fed up with his hair and pulled off the wig, revealing bright red elbow length hair. He watched Kyuubi wipe off the make-up from under his left eye, revealing a similar tribal like kanji tattoo in red meaning fox.

"No he won't. You're gone, remember? You've been a "runaway" since two months ago." Kyuubi muttered, walking towards the only window in the rundown cabin Shukaku had been living in for the past two months.

"So? That won't stop him from blaming me! He'll probably say something along the lines of, "That nuisance has corrupted my son and now he's taken him away as well!" Face it Kyuu, you'll always be his little _Minato Jr._ and anyone who he sees as a threat will be prosecuted once he sees you're gone." Kyuubi cursed silently. As much as he didn't want to acknowledge it, Shukaku was right.

"Don't call me that! My name is not Minato, its Kyuubi! I refuse to acknowledge that name." Kyuubi bit out.

"Whatever. Just know that if you leave, there will be consequences to pay; especially since you're the son of a really powerful man." Shukaku whispered, turning Kyuubi's chin towards him and kissing his lips lightly. Kyuubi frowned but allowed it. Even if Shukaku was right, he was going to find a way to get out; somehow.

One Week Later

"Kyuubi, son, are you sure you don't want me to go with you?" a long haired redhead asked, worry etched on her face as she watched her blonde son walk towards the exit of the large hall reserved for another one of those political dinners her husband had to attend.

"Mother, it's just a trip to the bathroom. It's not like I'm going to be going on a trip to the Bermuda triangle." He said with heavy sarcasm. She forced a smile, acting like the statement didn't hurt her one bit.

"I'm just worried you might get lost. We are in another city after all." She said reluctantly, watching him walk away without so much as a word of retort towards her.

He rolled his eyes as he walked towards the restroom of the establishment. He couldn't believe that his father had dragged him all the way to Amegakure for a dinner party that he wasn't going to enjoy anyway. He walked towards the door of the restroom, making sure no one was around inside as he locked the door and walked towards the mirror.

"Fucking ticks; all of them." He spat, glaring at the mirror. He stared at his reflection, hatred and disgust etched into his eyes as he looked at the remarkable resemblance he had with his father; the only thing different was his red eyes as compared to his father's blue. There was a loud bang in one of the stalls as it opened up and out walked a blonde boy with a bucket and a mop.

"Oh sorry there, didn't know someone was in here." He said as he turned towards him and smiled. Kyuubi raised his eyes, gasping as his lava red met with ocean blue; he was his exact copy … well to a point.

"Uh … son of a peach!" the other boy gasped out, his mouth dropping open as he stared at Kyuubi. They stared at each other, both not believing this was happening. "This is something out of the twilight zone!"

"Tch, well at least I know I haven't been cloned. I'd never say something as idiotic as that." Kyuubi mused, smirking at the cute blush of anger his counterpart gave; was he really this cute? No wonder Shukaku was crazy for him.

"Well that goes for me; I'd never be a jackass!" the other spat, making Kyuubi chuckle; he had spirit.

"What's your name?" Kyuubi asked, changing demeanor and making the other blonde raise a brow.

"Naruto," he murmured, staring at Kyuubi with narrowed eyes. Kyuubi smirked again and looked at Naruto's attire: ragged, dirty and dank.

"Is there a last name to that, Naruto?" Kyuubi asked, wondering what the boy was doing there looking like that; didn't he have a uniform?

"No. I was dumped on the steps of an orphanage with a small gold chain bracelet with the name Naruto and a birthdate on it, so that was my name. May I ask what yours is?" Naruto asked his eyes traveling over his clone's attire finding that he was a rich boy, figures.

"Minato Namikaze Junior. But please, call me Kyuubi." Kyuubi said with distaste, sighing as he sat on the counter of the sinks. Naruto nodded and stood awkwardly, his eyes staying away from his clone. Kyuubi huffed and rolled his eyes. "Well, come and sit."

Naruto nodded again and went to the sinks, jumping up and sitting on the counter, surprised that his whole body screamed in gratitude. Kyuubi smirked, watching as the blonde relaxed and sighed in gratitude.

"So, what are you doing here? I don't suppose you work here since you don't have a uniform." Kyuubi asked more out of boredom than curiosity; he wasn't about to go back out there and his clone was far more interesting than that dinner party.

"I was caught stealing some leftovers after I sneaked into the kitchen and the chef took pity on me so he said that if I cleaned the bathrooms I could have a big bowl of ramen tonight." Naruto said softly, looking down at the ground in shame as his rich boy counterpart just stared at him in contemplation.

"I see … you're homeless, aren't you?" he asked watching as Naruto just nodded and stayed silent. Kyuubi narrowed his eyes in thought, wondering how he could use this to his advantage; after all, you don't meet an exact clone of yourself every day.

"What are you here for?" Naruto suddenly asked, snapping Kyuubi from his thoughts.

"Huh?"

"What are you here for?" Naruto repeated himself. He'd watched as the place was filled with many important looking men and women earlier, but he didn't know what they were doing here.

"Oh. My father is an important man in our city and he has to be at these stupid political dinner parties. He dragged me along, even though I don't enjoy these things like mother does. I swear, if I could run away I would, but he'd probably start a nationwide man hunt for me." Kyuubi said distastefully, scratching at his head as he glared at the door.

"Why would you want to run away? You have everything that I could ever want and here you are taking it for granted!" Naruto shouted; glaring at his clone with so much passion, he'd startled Kyuubi into thinking he was going to get into a fight. Kyuubi just chuckled and clicked his tongue.

"I have my reasons for wanting to run." Kyuubi said, finally fed up with the wig and pulling it off. Naruto gasped as he watched the elbow length red hair cascade down from its position within the wig. His eyes widened when Kyuubi rubbed under his left eye and a red tattoo appeared out of thin air. He stared at his clone—no, he wasn't his clone, not anymore.

"Wh-what the fudge?" Naruto stuttered out, not believing what had just happened. Kyuubi smirked at him, jumping down from his perch and standing next to him.

"My father wouldn't approve of me; of how I've changed myself. I have to keep myself a secret in my own house just because he wouldn't approve. He'd lock me up in a loony bin, get someone to turn my hair blonde again, and try to keep me on some kind of drug if he'd ever find out. That is why, I want to run away from it all …" Kyuubi murmured, his red lava eyes connecting with Naruto's ocean blue; an idea was blossoming.

"What?" Naruto asked, wondering what was going on and why Kyuubi was staring at him as if he'd found the cure to cancer.

"Don't you see? I need to get away from it all, and you don't have anything. What if we switched places?" Kyuubi asked with excitement, smirking as his brilliant plan began to blossom even more. He wouldn't have to come back, he wouldn't have to worry for himself or Shukaku; this was perfect.

"What the fudge? This isn't the parent trap and we're not Mary-Kate and Ashley! This won't work!" Naruto tried to dismiss the idea from his and Kyuubi's mind, but the more he thought about it, the less he wanted to say no. This would be the answer to his problems; no more worrying where he'd end up at night, no more feeling cold, no more going hungry.

"Think about it Naruto. You'd be living the life, you'd have people who will care for you and best of all you'd have a family!" Kyuubi whispered to him, his hypnotic lava red eyes making him dizzy.

"I … I have to think about it." Naruto stuttered out, hopping off the counter and taking long strides to the locked door.

"Alright, but if you make up your mind … go to Konoha and straight to the Grand Bijuu Park. Take the Jinchuuriki trail all the way down to an old cabin. Knock on the cabin and tell the guy that will be there that you are what Kyuubi was talking about." Kyuubi shouted after Naruto, watching as he fled to the kitchen and was gone.

…

Naruto's heart was racing and as he passed by all the waiters and cooking staff with ease, he couldn't help but think about Kyuubi's proposition. How could he do it? How could he take over someone else's' life like that? How could Kyuubi expect him to lie to his parents like that?

"Naruto, what's wrong?" Naruto gasped as he felt his wrist being grabbed, jerking him back to reality. He looked back to the owner of the hand that was currently holding him back and smiled at the old chef.

"Oh hey Teuchi-san! I … nothing, I'm fine." Naruto murmured, refusing to meet the eyes of the kind chef.

"Nonsense; Ayame, bring me the largest bowl of ramen we have. Naruto has some explaining to do."  
Teuchi said smiling at the young boy as he was seated and Ayame brought him the largest bowl in the kitchen. Naruto smiled and picked at the ramen; he just couldn't do it.

"I … I'm not really hungry Teuchi-san, and nothing is wrong." Naruto said, standing himself up once more as he made to try to leave through the back door.

"No Naruto, you will eat something and you will tell me what is troubling you. I promised that I was going to feed you tonight and I will. Now sit down and start spilling the beans or else … you're not going to like what I will do." Teuchi said with a sparkle to his eye, making Naruto gulp and nod.

He started to talk; telling both him and Ayame about the boy in the bathroom, about how the boy drastically changed his appearance in his hatred of his father and how Kyuubi proposed to him a life altering proposal that was troubling Naruto to no end.

"Hmm," Teuchi hummed in thought, watching Naruto enjoy his food with vigor; it was almost like he could finally eat once the weight of the problem was lifted off of him.

"Look Naruto, we can't make this decision for you. Whatever you decide, we're right by your side!" Ayame answered for him making him smile at the wise words his daughter said; she was learning well.

"Ayame is right Naruto. You must make this decision on your own. If we made it for you, you will regret it for the rest of your life. I will say this though, if you need any help, we'll be willing to help anyway we can." Teuchi said with a smile, making Naruto feel better.

"Alright … I'll need a huge favor."

"Anything you need." Teuchi said.

…

Kyuubi smirked as he walked back to the dinner party once again in his disguise. His mother sighed in relief next to his father and a small ounce of annoyance rolled through his system when she rushed towards him and hugged him for dear life.

"You see Kushina, he's alright." His father, the original Minato, said with a smile as he watched his son being smothered by his wife. "Glad you're safe, Kyuubi." Minato said in amusement.

"Well I'm sorry for worrying Minato, but you know that I don't feel alright if he wanders off in an unknown place! What if he gets lost, what if he gets abducted or hurt!" Kushina fretted, looking at her son's face for any signs of a bruise.

"Tch, I'm fine mother. I'm sixteen not five." Kyuubi said with a roll of the eyes, staring at his mother as she stared at his face. His eyes widened when she pulled out a napkin and tried to wipe something away from right under his left eye. He jerked himself away from her grasp, indifferent to her hurt expression.

"Minato!" his father roared, glaring at him for treating his mother that way.

"The name is Kyuubi and you both know that I don't like it when I get babied. I can take care of myself and I can definitely clean myself up." Kyuubi said; his eyes indifferent as he walked away towards their table. Minato sighed and he hugged his wife in comfort.

"It's alright Kushina, it's just a phase. You'll see that he'll slowly go back to being that cute little boy he always was, hugging and playing with everyone." Minato said; almost as if to reassure himself instead of her. Kushina sighed and nodded, kissing her husband as she walked towards where their stolid son sat and stared at the people around.

Kyuubi clicked his tongue as he watched the people around; soon very soon he'd be free of them, whether it is by switching places with Naruto or running away himself. He smirked towards the door to the kitchen. "No, he'll come, I know he will."

…

Shukaku sighed as he stared out the window, watching the pouring rain as it covered the earth and brought life to the earth. How long was he going to stay here in this cabin as Kyuubi's secret? How long was he going to stay and take this?

It had been a week ago when Kyuubi said he had a plan, a plan that would answer all their problems, but here he was, Kyuubi's dirty little secret, and no answer at all.

"Damn it Kyuubi! How long do you expect me to stay with you? … How long do you think I'll stay in love with you?" Shukaku whispered to no one in particular, walking towards a white sheet covering a canvas. He pulled it away and revealed an amazing scene of a small raccoon cub and a fox cub curled together taking a midday nap. He smiled and affectionately ran his finger over the fox, sighing in nostalgia.

"_**Knock, knock, knock.**_" Shukaku jumped, startled by the sounds of knocking. He curiously went to the door; it couldn't be six o'clock yet, so he knew it wouldn't be Kyuubi, and no one knew he lived here or that this cabin even existed.

He opened the door and gasped; it was Kyuubi. "K-Kyuubi!" Shukaku gasped, pulling him inside and shutting the door. The poor boy was shivering and blubbering, saying something that Shukaku just couldn't understand.

He ran to the bathroom, running back with a couple of towels in hand. He slowly dried him, gasping when the wig wouldn't come off. He jumped back startled; his wide dark hazel eyes staring at the blonde Kyuubi look alike.

"I-i-I'm n-not K-K-Kyuubi. M-My n-name i-is N-N-Naruto." Naruto stuttered out, shivering and holding the soaked towel close to him in the hopes that it would still dry him and keep him warm. "I'm w-what K-Kyuubi w-was talking a-about."

Shukaku slumped down into the couch he was standing in front of, his eyes watching in amazement as Naruto stood there and shivered. He couldn't believe it; this was Kyuubi's great no-consequence plan? A boy named Naruto that looked exactly like the Kyuubi his parents knew?

Shukaku snapped out of his thoughts, walking over to the back closet and pulling out the giant towel cover thing he had and handed it to Naruto. He walked to the kitchen next and picked up his charging phone, calling the only person he thought to call.

Naruto watched as the dirty blonde walked around the cabin on automatic, his eyes conveying a sense of mental break down. He sighed in relief when he was given a full body towel he could wrap himself in.

"Kyuubi, it's Shukaku. … I got your plan, he walked in just now … Can you come over … bring some spare clothes with you." Shukaku muttered into the phone as he noticed the Naruto didn't have anything on him other than the soaked clothes he was wearing. He walked over to the living room as Naruto tried to finish drying himself before wrapping himself in the full body towel.

He sighed and motioned Naruto to the bathroom. "It's no use, just pull your clothes off and let them dry in the tub. Wrap yourself in the towel and wait for Kyuubi to come with some clothes." Shukaku said, gently pushing him inside and closing the door.

Naruto stared at the door for a few seconds before he did as Shukaku asked, walking out of the bathroom blushing a few minutes later. There was a sweet smell of chocolates and vanilla coming from the living room and Naruto smiled as Shukaku stood up and offered him some hot chocolate.

"Well, we're going to be here alone for a little while, so we might as well get to know each other. My name is Shukaku." Shukaku said, although he knew Naruto knew that already.

"Okay … um, my name is Naruto?" Naruto murmured in question with a smile, not knowing what to say. Shukaku chuckled and smiled at him, making Naruto relax back into the couch.

"Yeah, I guess we already know each other's name, huh?" Naruto nodded and took a sip from his hot chocolate making Shukaku smirk at him; he was just cute, even if he's Kyuubi's clone. "Well tell me where you're from."

"Hmm … i-I don't know. I was abandoned in front of an orphanage with only this small bracelet with my name and birthdate on it. I don't even know my last name." Naruto said, daring to let his right hand venture out into the cold air in order to show Shukaku his gold chain bracelet. "I've spent most of my life in the orphanage; no one wanted to adopt me. I ran away from the orphanage last year on my birthday and I've been out on the streets ever since."

"How'd you come to know Kyuubi?" Shukaku asked, brushing his dirty blonde hair back as he stared out the window and the rivulets of rain water pouring down it.

"I was caught stealing the left overs at the hotel where his father's dinner party was held. The chef was kind to me and told me that if I cleaned the bathrooms, I could have a large bowl of ramen for supper. I was cleaning the bathrooms when he walked in and locked the door." Naruto said with a smile.

"Huh, well you're one lucky kid. Once you switch with Kyuu, there won't be a single day when you'll have to steal any food." Shukaku said with a sigh.

"Ano, what's Kyuubi's deal with his dad anyways? What has him so against his father?" Naruto asked, curiosity getting to him once more; he'd been pondering that on the way over.

"That? Well … in order for you to get it, I have to tell you my background." Shukaku said smirking when Naruto got himself comfortable and turned all his attention solely on him.

"Go on." He chuckled and nodded.

"Well … when I was younger, I lived with my mom and dad. I remember she was the most beautiful creature in the world and she loved me. She loved me like only a mother could, but one day, one day she left us. It was an unusually dark night, my father had to stay in the office—it's funny, I don't even know what he worked in. My mother and I decided to spend the whole day out at the zoo and the aquarium. On our way back, the car broke down.

"We were already in town and just three blocks away from my father's office. My mom never carried a phone; she said that it was a nuisance and that it would only slow us down. She and my father had an agreement that if we were to leave the city, she'd have to carry it. That day, my mother never charged it and it was dead.

"She decided that we could walk to my father's office, get him to help us or stay with him until he went home. But as we walked, we noticed that there was a group following after us. She clutched my hand hard and told me not to worry, we were almost there. And we were; we were just at the door of the office building when they grabbed us. They pulled my mother into the alley and held her down.

"All they wanted was money, but we didn't have any. I tried to help her, I tried to get them off, but I was weak. I was only five years old and I couldn't do a thing to help her. I tried to tell them that my father worked in the building and that he could give them money, but they didn't care; they saw my mother for the beautiful woman she was and they wanted that beauty.

"I tried to fight them off, tried to help, but all they did was hold me on my knees and force me to watch as they violated my mother. They only got as far as ripping off her dress before there was a flashlight shinned on them; the security guard came out to see why there were screams. They all scrambled to get away, to not get caught. I thought they would leave us alone, but they took us with them.

"When they realized that we were slowing them down, they decided to get rid of us. They stabbed both of us and left us for dead; I survived, my mother … she did not" Shukaku whispered out, the tears in his eyes blurring the sight of Naruto crying as well.

"I woke up in the hospital bed to my father having a mental break down; I'd woken up in time to hear that my mother had died. After that, my father couldn't go on. It was as if he'd died with her. He got fired, we were evicted, and I even had to get a job in order for us to survive. My father turned into an alcoholic and blamed me for my mother's death; that's when he started beating me.

"I began to hang out with the street urchins; I joined gangs and became a thug. That's when I met Kyuubi. I was ten years old when I met Kyuubi. I found him getting intimidated by some of my friends in the park. They wanted his ball, his candy and even his shoes. Kyuubi didn't know what was going on, but he refused.

"Ha, ha, ha. He was such a thick headed kid; he was even challenging them. I watched and admired him as he stood up for himself and the other kids in the park, but when my friends pulled out a small knife, I knew he was in for it. I took a spur of the moment decision and stood up for him. I pushed him out of the way and took the hit with the knife for him. I defended him and I even beat up my friends for even trying to hurt him.

"After that, my friends left saying I was out and to watch my back. They left the knife on the floor next to me; I thought Kyuubi was gone, but then he was there. He helped me up and tried to stop the bleeding; that's when his father found us. He saw the blood, the knife, and he saw me. He threatened me and even hit me.

"Kyuubi began to hate him after that, but he always managed to find me. The tip of the iceberg finally came when his father found me in his bedroom last year, when he was fifteen and I was sixteen. He threw me in jail, had someone hired to beat me to an inch of my life, and threatened to send me to prison. After that, Kyuubi began to despise him, and we both decided that it was time we did something." Shukaku said with a sad smile.

"Well, what did you do?" Naruto asked with a small voice, too involved in the story to fix it and say it like a man.

"Two months ago me and Kyuubi acted out a huge fight and I made it look like I ran away from this city. I've been living here since then, but Kyuubi wants to run away now. That's why you're here. His father isn't letting him live, and we're both afraid of what he'd do if Kyuubi ran away now." Shukaku said, standing up and walking over to the canvas.

"So … if I do this, I'd be saving both your lives?" Naruto asked incredulously, finally getting his senses back.

"Yeah, pretty much."

"But what about me?"

"What about you?" Both Shukaku and Naruto turned to see a smirking redhead, umbrella in one hand and two duffle bags—a red and blue one—full of clothes in another.

"Well if your father is like he says, what about my sanity?" Naruto asked, blushing when Kyuubi raised an eyebrow to his attire.

"Don't worry about it. You're not the one who's in love with Shukaku. When he sees that you're not pinning after Shukaku, he'll leave you alone. They'll treat you like a son; they'll smother you, but it's alright, I think you'll like that." Kyuubi said with a smirk as he threw the blue duffle bag at him and kept the red one.

"What's this for?" Naruto asked, opening the bag and gasping in gratefulness.

"You'll need some clothes in order to go back." Kyuubi said with sarcasm as he pulled Naruto to the bathroom and shut the door, a rough difference to Shukaku's gentleness. Naruto sighed as he pulled out an outfit that Kyuubi packed for him. He gasped as he pulled out new pair of U.S. Polo Assassin shoes in dark blue. He set them down and pulled out an Aero Postal dark blue T-shirt and a plaid shirt to go over it in –guess—blue. The pants given to him were surprisingly black jeans and under those were—thankfully—a pair of black boxer briefs. He smiled, at least he won't be dressing like a stuck up rich boy.

Kyuubi smirked outside the bathroom, hearing Naruto's gasps of amazement. Shukaku smirked at him and pulled him into his arms, kissing his neck as they waited patiently for Naruto to walk out. "Are you sure you want to give it all up and give it to him?"

"Oh Shukaku, I'm not conceited. I have no desire to fuck my look alike." Kyuubi said with a smirk, receiving a glare from Shukaku; he knew what he meant. "Shuu … I love you and if my father won't let us be together, then we'll just have to run away. No one is going to stop me from loving you."

Shukaku smirked, turning Kyuubi's chin towards him as he met his lips with the redhead's soft ones. There was a sound of a door opening then a soft cough as Naruto walked out and smiled shyly at them. Kyuubi raised an eyebrow, noticing that this plan was much easier said than done.

"You're going to need some help. I'm not shy, I don't blush, and I definitely don't have whisker marks on my face. You're going to have to learn how to have confidence and dress appropriately." Kyuubi said, ripping himself from Shukaku in order to get to work. Shukaku sighed and just rolled with it; it's better to accept rather than complain.

"What do you mean? I am confident and I do dress appropriately! I think this is a rather nice outfit, but I like a little more orange in my outfits thank you very much." Naruto retorted, a fire in his ocean blue eyes. Kyuubi sighed and sat him down as he paced in front of him.

"What I mean is that you can't go around blushing and acting like a virgin every time you see something as petty as kissing. Especially since you'll be me now! And by dressing appropriately I mean … once you take over being me, you're going to have to dress to impress, get it? Dress in sexy outfits and be everyone's wet dream." Kyuubi said his lava red eyes peering into Naruto's ocean blues.

"Um …." Naruto blushed; this was not something he was expecting when he decided to do it.

"That's another thing … what to do about the blue eyes and those damn whiskers! My make-up won't help since it only covers the smallest things and that isn't small … and contacts aren't easy for just anyone." Kyuubi said pacing a little more and leaving Naruto to begin a freak out session.

"Alright, calm down the both of you!" Shukaku said loudly, making both of them turn towards him. He smirked and let a finger caress his redhead's cheek as he walked to the window.

"You stopped us just to caress my cheek?" Kyuubi seethed with a raised eyebrow, unsure of his love's mental state.

"Nope; I have a plan." Shukaku said with a smirk as he grabbed both their hands and walked out the door—only to return for some umbrellas a few seconds later.

…

"Are you nuts? This will never work! Besides it's too soon, I just got here! Don't you have to say goodbye, shouldn't I have a few days to get everything together, and shouldn't you be sad! Why the hell are you smiling like a lunatic who's just won the lottery?" Naruto asked in alarm as both Kyuubi and Shukaku pushed him up the bricked steps to a Hacienda style house hidden within some beautiful plants. _**((Look it up, they're beautiful!))**_

"These people want me to grow up to be like my father and marry some twat! I don't have to be an ounce of sad! I already said goodbye to my only friend and filled him in on you. You can get everything together in my room just as well. If you have any questions, look for my journal under Kyuubi." Kyuubi said as he thrust a small _Lens Crafters_ bag into Naruto's hand and Shukaku finished applying the blood to the bandages on each of Naruto's cheeks.

"Don't worry Naruto. Everything will go smoothly just as long as you follow directions and stay into character as much as you can." Shukaku said as he patted his head.

"Don't worry; just refuse to be touched by either of them; that's what I would do. Talk without emotion and don't look them in the eye." Kyuubi said as he held Naruto in place and looked him in the eye. "And Naruto … thank you." Kyuubi said as he hugged Naruto closely and let out a soft sob.

"Come on, let's go." Shukaku said as he looked at them, giving up and joining in on the hug. "You're saving our lives."

"Thank you so much … you don't know how grateful I am." Kyuubi said with a sniffle, giving Naruto another tight embrace before he let go and disappeared behind some bushes. Naruto stood there staring off after them, a small tear slipping down his face and into one of the bandages on his cheeks; he'll never forget them.

With a sigh and steeled nerves, Naruto walked up the bricked stairs and down the cobblestone path until he reached the cherry oak door, pulling out the keys that Kyuubi handed to him and opening the doors. Silence greeted him as he stepped inside, his eyes widening at the sheer size of the front foyer.

Following Kyuubi's instructions he left off his amazement for another time and stared at the floor, closing the door and taking off his shoes in the closet beside it.

"Mina—Kyuubi? What are you—what happened?" Naruto let out a soft gasp when his face was jerked up to meet the red eyes of a woman that looked sort of like Kyuubi in female form. He stared at her concerned face slowly realizing that this was Kushina Namikaze, mother of Kyuubi. Slowly it clicked and he ripped himself from her grasp, feigning a wince in order to save her feelings. "Y-Your eyes! Wh-what happened?"

"Nothing mother, I decided that a change was in order and so I left to go buy some contacts. The doctor said blue suited me fine, so I took them." Naruto deadpanned, giving himself a pat on the back for pulling it off.

"And your face? What happened to my beautiful boy?" Kushina sobbed out, trying to reach for him but succeeding in only grasping air.

"I am sixteen mother, why must we go over this once more? I just fell and scraped my face on that old fence near the forest. I went to see a nurse and she addressed my wounds. Now if you'll excuse me, I'll be on my way to my room." Naruto's heart broke when he saw her teary-eyed expression but kept walking.

He climbed the intricately designed winding stairs, his eyes running over each tile as he made it to the second floor. He remembered what Kyuubi told him and kept walking down the hall until he made it to the end. He turned and gasped as he walked down another hallway; Kyuubi's door was open and the inside was amazing.

He reached the room and let himself in, closing the door behind him silently as his eyes roved over the entire room, his eyes trying to connect the glow in the dark stars painted on the wall. He walked around, turning on the light switch and gasping in awe. Instead of turning on a light, he turned on a curtain of twinkling lights in the middle of the room, dividing the other half from the one seen.

Naruto crossed the room, moving the curtain of twinkling lights away to again gasp in awe as he entered a world of more glowing lights lighting his way around the room.

"This is way cool." Naruto murmured, sitting down in a plush chair painted with glow in the dark paint to show an intricate image of a rose. He sighed as he scratched his head. This was all his and already he was in love. This was just what he imagined his room would be when he got adopted as a child.

He got up and walked to the bed smirking when he realized that it had its own curtains to keep the world out and him in. He let his hand wander over the soft curtains, his eyes moving towards the bathroom and closet. He smiled once more and walked to the closet opening it up and gasping at the sheer amount of space and clothes stuffed inside.

"Kyuubi, it's your father. Open up." Naruto gasped and began to panic on the inside; what would he say; how would he act; what would he do? He took a big breath and steeled his nerves, opening the door to stare at a broad muscular chest. He raised his eyes slowly, inwardly gasping at the likeness the man had with him; this was Kyuubi's father.

"God, Kyuubi. What happened to you?" He asked, walking into the room and sitting on the black sofas that Naruto hadn't explored on the door's side of the twinkling curtains.

"I fell through the old gates near the forest after I bought my lenses. What more is there to that?" Naruto asked; surprising himself by how easily he adopted the roll of Kyuubi, but it still had its toll on him.

"I know that. I just spent the last two minutes listening to your mother cry about it. I'm asking what's gotten into you. Why are you trying to change your appearance? Why get blue contact lenses? You made your mother think that you hate her." Minato said with a frustrated sigh.

"I … I'm sorry, I don't mean it like that. I just want … change. I want to change." Naruto said, deciding to wing it; Kyuubi never told him what to say if his mother thought he hated her.

Minato's head sprang up. He expected silence, he expected a grunt, hell he even expected Kyuubi to tell him to mind his business but … sorry? There is something definitely wrong with his son. "Uh … are you okay Kyuu?" Minato asked, expecting him to yell about the name.

"I'm fine. Get out, I need some rest; the nurse ordered me to." Naruto said, returning to indifference as he opened the door to let his father out. Minato nodded numbly, walking out and standing in the hallway in amazement.

"It must have been the fall … he must have bumped his head." Minato muttered, deciding that his son wasn't a real problem, but his emotionally distressed wife was.

Naruto sighed as he walked to the bathroom and straight to the mirror, peeling off the fake bandages to get a good look at his face; what had he gotten into? "God, what the hell is wrong with me? Why the hell did I accept to do this?"

He walked over to the twinkling lights curtain and crossed to the other side, walking straight to the desk and the wooden letters spelling Kyuubi. "Alright, Kyuubi said to go to Kyuubi, I'm here … now what?" Naruto asked himself, sighing and sitting down at the desk.

He peered up at the letters, trying to decipher the hidden meaning of Kyuubi's message. Suddenly he spotted a small indentation, so small you wouldn't notice it unless you stare at it and knew what you were looking for. He stood up and reached for it, gasping when the wall actually gave way and a rectangle portion of the wall containing the letters sprang up and revealed a hidden hole in the wall; clever.

"What the hell is this? He isn't James Bond!" Naruto whispered harshly, looking inside to spot two small journals; one labeled _For Naruto_ and the other labeled _Journal: Touch upon Pain of Death_. Naruto sighed and guessed that the threat didn't apply to him since he was now the new Kyuubi.

He opened the journal labeled for him and gasped for the millionth time that day. Inside was a note for him from Kyuubi that read:

_Naruto,  
I'm writing this tonight, the night we met, because I know you'll take the proposition. I made this journal just for you. If you have any questions, just read this. Congratulations, you've taken my life! I can't thank you enough; I just hope you'll be happy now. I'm doing this not only for me, but for you as well. You deserve to live the good life, so enjoy!_

_-Kyuubi_

Naruto sighed once more as he closed the journal; not only was he going to have to stay, he was just guilt tripped into never leaving; great. He closed the journal and placed the other one back in the hole; no need for that one just yet. He carried the journal with him as he climbed into the curtained bed and laid down, staring in awe at the ceiling of the bed which was covered in glow in the dark paint in sync with the constellations of the night sky.

"Kami please help me live through this." Naruto said as he closed his eyes; he was going to need all the rest he could get for tomorrow.

Chapter End

Review Please!


	2. Chapter 2

_**Author's Note:  
**_Well, this is my second chapter, wish me luck!  
Smiles and Reviews please, I own nothing concerning Naruto, Kishimoto does.

Lullaby

Chapter 2

The sounds of birds chirping brought Naruto out of his sleep, the notion of time was lost to him as he tried to bring himself to a more awake state. He stretched his body, his back arching in a way that would remind one of a cat arousing itself from sleep.

For one sickening minute, as he took in his surroundings, Naruto forgot just where he was, how he got there, and who he was supposed to be. His mind tried to calm the panic based adrenaline as it coursed through his body, trying to get him to react to his unfamiliar surroundings.

He took a look around the room, the memories of the previous day's events slowly returning to his sleep filled mind. Kyuubi. That was right; he was no longer Naruto, he was Kyuubi. He now had a mother and father, a home and a room; he now had a life.

Naruto sighed as he ran a hand through his hair, scratching the golden locks as he turned towards his alarm clock; it was only six fifteen. He sighed again, getting out of bed and walking towards his new bathroom hidden within the dark star filled room. He was once again struck with the way Kyuubi's room was decorated, the walls painted a dark blue with various glowing stars everywhere.

"How is this real?" He asked himself quietly as he made it into the bathroom, turning on the light to see his reflection in the mirror. He smirked when he saw the dried fake blood on his cheeks; he should have washed up before falling asleep the night before. He let his eyes wander the huge bathroom, surprised that it resembled more a bamboo forest than a bathroom.

He smiled as he undressed, the warmth of his surroundings making him feel more at home. He didn't know why, but everything about the place made him feel so at home, almost like he'd been there in a distant dream or memory. He stepped into the crystal shower, turning on the water and getting a surprise when the rain shower application turned itself on and soaked him in a matter of seconds.

"Awesome!" Naruto said with a giggle, washing away his troubles with the artificial rain. He walked out several minutes later, grabbing a towel and walking into the large walk in closet. He'd taken a small glimpse before, but now he could really bask in the sheer size of it.

As he walked into the closet his eyes wandered and caught everything in sight, from the small plants to the large shelves filled with pants; it was like a small boutique! Naruto gazed in amazed awe as he walked around, his hands touching the shirts hanging on built in rows and shelves as he passed by. He smiled in excitement when his eyes reached the bookshelf filled with books right around the corner; it was official, Kyuubi was his twin soul.

"This is a dream." Naruto said with a sigh, his eyes soon losing their shine of excitement as the situation really settled itself in his mind. How was he going to see this through? Was he really going to go on living as Minato Namikaze Junior A.K.A Kyuubi for the rest of his life? And what about Kyuubi's parents; shouldn't they deserve better?

He rubbed his eyes with his thumb and forefinger, deciding that thinking himself to death wasn't the answer; he decided to go through with it and he will. "Besides, their lives are in jeopardy. I have no choice." Naruto murmured, walking to the shelves and picking out some black skinny jeans, a black tank top, and an orange, black and yellow plaid shirt to go on top.

As he walked out, he smiled at the mirror; Kyuubi would be proud. He checked the time as he walked out into his room, finding that it was only just seven. "I guess I can go find some breakfast now." He whispered, walking out of his new room and making his way down to the kitchen of the warmly decorated house.

"K-Kyuubi, you're up early." Naruto looked up and nodded towards Kyuubi's mother, sitting down at the island as she moved around the kitchen.

"I woke up and couldn't go back to sleep." He said, a small smile surfacing despite his efforts to act indifferent. Kushina gasped and nodded silently; never had her son ever smiled, even a slight one.

"Are you okay?" she asked as she walked around the island to stand next to him. She poked and prodded his cherub cheeks, her worried red eyes greedily drinking in what was her son's face.

"Yes I am. Quit it, it stings a bit." Naruto said softly, closing an eye and batting her hands away. In reality, he was trying not to giggle, he loved it when someone would pinch his cheeks—well that is until they do it too much. Kushina smiled slightly, at least this time he's not pushing her away coldly.

"Are you sure? We could take you to a doctor to get it checked out." She said with her motherly concern, grabbing one of her long red locks to twist and play with.

"No, I'm fine. What are you cooking?" Naruto asked, getting up and walking to the stove. He gasped as he realized that she was making ramen for breakfast; it was his favorite food. Kushina watched in amazement as her son was actually excited to eat ramen for breakfast for once.

"You want to eat ramen?" Kushina asked, watching as he tasted the broth and made a small face.

"Yes. But the broth needs some zest and rosemary … maybe a pinch of chili powder for the zest and a few leaves of cilantro just for flavor." Naruto said mindlessly, adding in the ingredients as he named them. Kushina stared in shock, snapping out of it when he handed her a spoon to taste the new and improved broth.

"Oh … oh my! That is amazing! How did you know how to do that?" she asked, watching him blush and look away; Kyuubi never did that.

"I read a lot, and when I'm alone, I practice." Naruto said; surprised by how easy the lie came. Kushina narrowed her eyes and purged her lips, not believing him a bit.

"Kyuubi, Sai is here." Minato's voice rang out, interrupting their awkward silence. Naruto sighed in relief as he got up, taking an orange from the basket in the middle of the island.

"Bye mother. I'll just eat this." He said before she even said a word, leaving her behind with Minato as he entered the kitchen.

"He's different." Kushina said softly, Minato nodding beside her.

"Yes he is, but when he's ready, he'll tell us what's wrong." He said as his son left the house.

"Hello Sai." Naruto said, knowing that Sai knew all about him.

"Naru—owff." Sai gasped as Naruto thrust his elbow into his stomach, stopping him from committing the worst mistake he could ever make.

"Shut it. We're too close to them for you to call me that." Naruto hissed, pulling Sai away from the front door and down to the sidewalk. They walked for a while, Naruto trying to come up with a conversation to have with Kyuubi's and his' only friend while Sai just enjoyed the late winter's last days.

"Winter is truly beautiful, don't you think? I love spring and summer, but there's something about winter and fall that just captivates me." Sai suddenly said as they reached an old gate. Naruto stared at him, trying to understand the meaning of his question.

"I guess. I love fall and spring most out of all of them. Something about the coming of life in spring and the ending of life in the fall brings me a sense of understanding. It's like I'm more in tune with the world during those times." Naruto finally answered, giving Sai a deep statement to ponder about.

"Kyuubi told me about you, I never really believed him, but here you are. You look just like his father." Sai said, turning to enter the old rusty gate and go down the worn path it hid. Naruto gasped as he passed the gate; it was the rusty gate that Kyuubi spoke to him about, with some of the bars bent oddly outward.

"Yeah, I realized that." Naruto said as they kept walking through the forest.

"You might look like Kyuubi, but you aren't the same. He's more happy go lucky, not a virgin, his dick is bigger, and you're more lithe and feminine than he is, but not that much." Sai said, making Naruto blush and glare at him in astonishment.

"E-Excuse me?!"

"You heard me. Are you deaf as well as small in the pants? Kyuubi sure didn't think this through when he picked you." Sai said with a fake smile, making Naruto blush in anger.

"Why you … you pompous, uneducated, son of a peach!" Naruto growled, his angry blue eyes burning into Sai's dark gray ones. Sai chuckled, a real smile appearing under the fake one.

"You need to study up on Kyuubi behavior, blondie. He'd never say anything like that, if he had anything to say, he'd say it outright no matter what word it is. If you want to say son of a bitch, go ahead." Sai said, continuing down the path as Naruto gaped after him.

"Blondie?" Naruto asked once he snapped out of it and ran after the pale boy ahead of him. Sai smirked, slowing down in his walk to pay more attention to the blonde.

"Yes, blondie. Now about Kyuubi behavior … I'm sure he left you a journal; keep it with you at all times. In order to pull this off, you need to read it over and over again and keep it with you." Sai said, pulling Naruto from the path suddenly and trekking down the hill through the foliage with Naruto in tow.

"Pull this off? Keep it with me?" Naruto asked, gasping when Sai sat him down on a log and paced in front of him.

"Look, you and I both need to know some stuff before we even continue, okay?" Sai asked, watching Naruto nod for him to continue. "Alright. How much schooling do you have?"

"I ran away last year and have been on the streets ever since. I only made it to ninth grade." Naruto answered to the point, watching Sai's reaction.

Sai nodded, "What are your hobbies?"

"Drawing and reading. I hike a lot when I do them though."

"What are your abilities?" Sai asked as he narrowed his eyes.

"Like what? Computation, singing, juggling?" Naruto asked, receiving a serious look of no nonsense and sighing at it. "I can cook, play the guitar and piano but other than that I don't have any other skill."

"Favorite subject?"

"Don't have one. I failed at school all my life." Naruto said with a sigh.

"Favorite food?" Sai said with a little agitation.

"Ramen and red bean soup." Naruto said coolly.

"What type of music do you like?"

"Rock mostly but I don't discriminate. Why do you need to know all of this?" Naruto asked, vaguely knowing the answer himself.

"You are too different from Kyuubi, yet you are the same. Kyuubi doesn't cook, he loves school, his favorite subject is history and he's a genius. He plays violin, cello and piano, and he likes to draw and read. The personality is fine, it's just the way you act is the difference." Sai said with a sigh. Naruto understood what he was saying and stood up with grace, smirking towards Sai.

"No worries, just as long as you're there to pull me back, I'll pull this off. Now come on, it's only Saturday and I have to get ready to go to a school that I'm used to and am a genius at." Naruto said with a determined look as Sai nodded and smiled.

…

Monday rolled around finding Naruto bright and early in black skinny jeans and a punk style tight shirt that read "Badass Uke, Baby" with arm warmers; if Kyuubi wanted him to look good, then he was going to do it in his own style. As he descended the stairs he held his journal in one hand and his book bag in the other.

He walked into the kitchen, receiving two consecutive gasps from his parents who were used to him wearing formal attire to school. They stared at him, watching as he made the coffee for them all and began to hum a song.

"Kyuubi, are you alright?" Minato asked as he watched his son pull out various ingredients and began to sprinkle it into the brewing coffee in the pot.

"Yeah, don't worry. I just felt like making a good coffee." Naruto said softly without looking at them, placing a cup in front of each of them and sipping his own. "Enjoy. I can't guarantee the flavor, but I know it'll always be good." He said as he walked out of the kitchen and out the door.

"Minato, our son has been abducted by aliens and they've left us with this messed up version of him." Kushina said conspirationally as they both stared at their coffee mugs. Minato shrugged and took a sip, smiling as the warm feeling of love filled him to the very core.

"I don't know Kushina, are you sure they didn't just return him and took away the replacement?" he said with a smile as he walked to the door leading to the garage.

Outside, Naruto was smiling as he walked towards his school. He hadn't been to a good school in a while, and while he'd told Sai that he failed in school, it didn't mean that he hated school. He loved it in fact; he just didn't have a favorite subject. He took a deep breath, coughing when a black ford mustang decided that was the perfect moment to rev itself and unleash its smoke into Naruto's breathing space.

"What the—hey! Hey ya jerk!" Naruto yelled, glaring at the bastard as he drove off, not once turning around to apologize. Naruto growled as he kept walking, cursing himself for never learning to drive and Kyuubi for not asking for a car.

As he walked, he couldn't help but imagine how his life could have been if he were born in Kyuubi's life and Kyuubi in his. Would he have fallen in love with Shukaku instead of Kyuubi? Would he hate his father as Kyuubi hates his own? Would he treat his mother just like Kyuubi treated his? He didn't think so. He'd never fall in love with Shukaku because even in another life, he'd be madly in love with Kyuubi. He wouldn't hate his father because he'd never be in love with Shukaku in the first place. As for his mother, she wasn't a part of any of those problems, so why would she ever have to suffer?

Naruto couldn't really understand why this all happened to him. Why did he look so much like Kyuubi's father? Why did he feel as if he'd been in that house before? He took a deep breath, exhaling and opening his eyes to his surroundings; it wouldn't do him good to get lost.

Naruto gasped as he looked at the sheer amount of students on the large luxurious campus of the immaculate school. He'd been there on Saturday and Sunday with Sai, exploring and committing to memory every single room on campus.

"Hey Na—Kyuubi, so you're finally here." Naruto snapped his head in the direction of Sai's voice, smiling grandly and walking over to him. He was standing with a group of kids that all stared at him, their eyes wide in shock.

"Kyuubi, what's gotten into you?" Naruto raised an eyebrow at the girl with the pink hair calling him out. In his opinion, he was dressed rather modestly compared to her hot pink shirt with holes and short skirt. "What happened to your face?!"

"Leave him alone, he's probably just doing it to spite daddy." A long haired boy said with pale, almost pupil-less, eyes. He narrowed his eyes towards him, his eyes spelling out danger to the young boy.

"I fell and hurt myself, as for my state of dress … I dress the way I please. It has nothing to do with my _**father**_ so I'd suggest that you both keep it to yourselves … after all, it wouldn't do the Hyuuga name any good if it were found out that their prodigal son is fornicating in school." Naruto said with a smirk, getting a triumphant smirk from Sai in congratulations. He'd read and reread the journal two times during the week end, so he was proud of himself for remembering all of that.

"Dude! Kyuubi burned you, Neji." A boy with fang like red tattoos said behind the pink haired girl, getting Neji to growl at him. Naruto smirked his way, the smirk feeling foreign on his usually sweet face. He shared a look with Sai, his head giving a sort of nod to him.

"Come on Sai, we shouldn't bother with company like Neji." Naruto said, turning away from them with Sai on his tail. They rounded a corner, stopping under a tree. Naruto sighed and turned to a smirking Sai, looking up with a hopeful expression.

"You did great, even better than Kyuubi himself." Sai said boastfully, getting a huge smile from Naruto. In that moment, Sai could see what a bubbly person Naruto was—still is.

"Great! I was scared that I crossed a boundary, since Kyuubi wrote in his journal that Neji was a person to hate, but he never said that I couldn't say a thing to him." Naruto said, smiling a smile brighter than the rays of the sun.

"Great improvising skills, N—Kyuubi." Sai suddenly changed his tone, letting Naruto know that someone was approaching. Sai watched as the shining smile was extinguished and in its place was a confidant smirk.

Naruto turned, his eyes stolid and devoid of any emotion. The boy with the red tattoos was standing right behind him, his gaze analyzing everything that was Naruto. He smiled, walking a little closer to the blonde as he stared him down with his turbulent blue eyes.

"Kyuubi … I've come to make amends. It was time someone finally told Neji off." He said, smiling and extending a hand towards him. Naruto turned towards Sai, watching as his lips made subtle movements to tell him the name of the boy he was standing in front of.

"Alright … Kiba, so what happened to make you come over to the dark side?" Naruto asked, watching as Kiba slowly circled him, his eyes never expressing anything.

"Neji kicked me out of his little group and … I know you're not Kyuubi." Kiba said smiling, making Naruto's eyes narrow and glare straight through him. "No offense, but you just don't smell like Kyuubi."

Naruto's eyes widened, turning towards Sai who just shrugged. "Kiba has a birth defect that makes his smell, sight, and hearing intensify to the level of dogs."

"That's right. I'm just surprised that Neji didn't pick up on you; usually he's telling me to check on things like that. I guess you hurt his ego enough to actually dumb him down." Kiba said nonchalantly, reaching the tree and leaning on its trunk.

"Okay, so what do you want?" Naruto asked, wondering what the price was for his silence. Kiba laughed, standing up and shaking his head.

"Nothing! I predict that something great will happen here, so I want front row seats … and to help. Kyuubi and Shukaku saved me from some thugs on a playground back when I was ten; I want to repay the favor." Kiba said, getting a small smile from Naruto.

"How do you know Shukaku and Kyuubi even had a thing to do with this? How do you know it's not his parents' plan?" Naruto asked, still a little cautious; it wasn't as if he wanted to be, it was just hard to believe that he could have enough luck to gain two allies in this strange new world.

"Because I knew Shukaku never left and I knew Kyuubi still met with him and because Sai wouldn't help you with shit if it wasn't for Kyuubi. Sai and me were there the day Kyuubi and Shukaku met, so I should know." Kiba said, gaining a nod from Sai and a smile from Naruto.

"Alright Kiba … my name is Naruto." Naruto said, smiling brightly towards him and getting a raised eyebrow from Kiba.

"Yeah, and that's how I know you're not Kyuubi; he doesn't smile like that for anyone other than Shukaku." Kiba said just as the bell rang, announcing the start of school. Naruto sighed, taking a deep breath and standing up straight and confident, making Kiba take a step back; it was like Kyuubi was there. Naruto smirked arrogantly towards him, making a small nod to the both of them to follow after him. Kiba and Sai fell in sync behind him watching as he ruled the school campus all on his own.

The crowds parted as Naruto walked by them, most of them watching as his feminine attributes helped him radiate authority. Kiba and Sai both followed faithfully, both awed by the fact that Naruto could pull off Kyuubi's attitude with such deft, that it was like Kyuubi never left. Slowly Naruto made his way to his first class; inside scared out of his wits and outside radiating boredom.

"Well, this is where we leave you, Naruto." Kiba said softly, squeezing Naruto's shoulder in assurance as he and Sai left Naruto standing in front of his first class. It was hard enough that he had to come back to school after a whole year, now he had to sit in an I.B. Biology class and be the best.

The classroom was half empty when Naruto entered, the few people inside were lazing around and talking to their friends. Naruto's apathetic eyes roved the classroom, landing on the one face that was familiar to him.

He was Sasuke Uchiha, Kyuubi's number one competitor for class rep and for the prodigal title of valedictorian. Kyuubi had dedicated five whole pages on him, including at least six pictures to make sure Naruto knew who he was and two news clips containing information on their rivalry. Naruto took his chance to really see Sasuke, since most of the pictures were blurry.

In all seriousness, the pictures did Sasuke no justice. His eyes were pure molten silver, and his skin was like the first snowfall of winter. His features were sharp and aristocratic, like an ancient vampire. Naruto felt a shiver run down his spine when those piercing eyes landed on him apathetically, their calculating gaze burning and pinning him on the spot.

"Mr. Namikaze, if you will please take a seat so I can begin class, maybe we all might get out sooner." A soft baritone said behind him, making him snap his gaze away from Sasuke and turn towards said voice's owner. The man had gravity defying silver hair, one grey eye visible under the scarf that covered the entire face.

"Sure Kakashi. Just wanted to let everyone have a look, that way they won't stare all through class." Naruto said with a smirk, still surprised that it all came naturally to him. He stood for one more second before he turned towards his seat next to the window, drowning out the mild chatter the class erupted into when they took notice of his attire.

He could feel various eyes on him, but one in particular had him shivering for an unknown reason. He risked a glance towards the other end of his row, his eyes meeting with Sasuke's own onyx ones. Naruto could feel himself being drawn towards his supposed competitor and he couldn't help the small whimper from coming out.

The class went silent, Naruto ripping his eyes from Sasuke's to look forward and raise an eyebrow. The class erupted into commotion again, making Naruto internally roll his eyes. This prodigious school was like any other with its gossip and teenage angst seeping from the very walls. What was the point in even coming back?

Kyuubi; he was the point. Naruto turned his blue eyes towards the window, tensing slightly when his pocket began to vibrate in a rather weird way. He pulled out his phone, his eyebrows furrowing slightly at the text Sai sent him.

_**Sai:**__ Don't start staring out the window. I know you sit in the back with Sasuke, so start studying more on the lesson. You'll blow your cover if you don't._

Naruto rolled his eyes, pressing the reply button on his iPhone and texting back.

_**Naruto:**__ Ok, mom. And geez, Y dnt U jst use norml text talk? Ur so up-tite! ;P_

Naruto felt a smile trying to blossom on his face, but stopped it as soon as it tried to grow; it wouldn't do him good to freak out anyone into thinking there was an apocalypse approaching. He put his phone away, pulling out a notebook Sai composed especially for him. It was like his own Dumbies Guide to Biology.

He could feel that gaze, almost like a predator studying his prey. It never once left him the entire class, and Naruto couldn't place it. He knew it was Sasuke, but every time he looked, Sasuke was studiously listening to Kakashi's lecture about symbiosis and the properties.

"Minato, why don't you come up here and explain the differences between Mitosis and Meiosis since you're so keen on spending the whole class period lost in La la land." Kakashi suddenly said, ripping Naruto from his musings.

For some unknown reason, he could feel himself get ruffled up and growl. He stood up with so much anger and ferocity that he even scared himself. He could remember reading in Kyuubi's journal that he should not allow anyone to call him by that name, and that was precisely what he was going to stop.

"Do not call me by that name ever again. If you want high test scores, you will make sure you never utter that name to anyone other than my father." Naruto murmured darkly, stepping back from his seat and walking slowly yet menacingly towards Kakashi. Kakashi gulped and nodded, swearing that he could actually see red in Kyuubi's eyes.

Naruto reached the board, taking the marker and writing down everything he knew about the differences between Mitosis and Meiosis. Kakashi gasped in awe, watching as Kyuubi once again proved himself to be a genius.

Sasuke smirked towards the blonde, watching as he wrote down everything in the lesson in just a few short words, dividing the board into two columns. To tell the truth, Kyuubi was somewhat different. Sasuke could tell that something changed drastically in Kyuubi, but he couldn't put a finger on it.

What happened to his rival to have him so different? His eyes roved down the expanse of the blonde, noticing that Kyuubi's ass was just a bit rounder and fuller. It arched from his body at a different angle, and he was much thinner. Sasuke smirked to himself, never knowing himself to actually catalogue every single physical attribute that Kyuubi had.

"There; the differences between Mitosis and Meiosis are simple. Mitosis is used for growth and repair while Meiosis is sex cells; gametes; or sperm and eggs. Any other questions will be answered by our genius teacher." Naruto said sarcastically, turning and making his way to his seat at the back. Kakashi gaped at his star pupil, mentally noting to never call him by his first name ever again.

He'd called Kyuubi Minato once before, but he never did anything other than sit still until he was addressed by his preferred name. As he looked over the notes on the board, he couldn't help but notice that Kyuubi's handwriting was a bit different yet the information was all perfect as always. He looked off to the back of the room, where Kyuubi sat studiously reading his books.

"Something isn't right with him, but what?" he finally murmured in sync with the bell, watching the blonde calmly get up and leave the room.

Naruto took a huge sigh of relief as he took a step out of the class, the tension suffocating him beyond reason. He couldn't help but feel like something was off, like everyone knew who he was. He felt like someone knew he was a fake and was watching him wander around an endless labyrinth.

Sasuke watched the cautious blonde closely, watching as he looked around every time he thought no one was looking. He'd followed the blonde after class, wondering what was wrong with his longtime rival. So far, he'd only been witness to Kyuubi's paranoid delusions, but even that was something Kyuubi sometimes did.

No one knew about Kyuubi other than Kiba and Sai, but Sasuke had figured it out since before Shukaku ran away. He knew Kyuubi and Shukaku were in love, he even knew that the runaway was all Kyuubi's plan. Sasuke had watched everything Kyuubi did since the minute he and Shukaku saved him at the park all those years ago. He had refused to be grateful to the blonde like Kiba and Sai were, and he had refused to let bygones be bygones; no matter what, Kyuubi was his rival.

But something made him watch the blonde turned redhead. Something piqued his interests and he had yet to discover what. He couldn't understand why he hadn't ratted out Kyuubi when he got the tattoo, or when he had his hair color changed. Something inside Sasuke just never let him.

And now, as he watched the blonde he'd always watched, he knew something was off with him.

"Kyuubi, let's go!" Sasuke snapped out of his musings as Kiba ran over to Kyuubi, smiling and pulling along the unresponsive blonde.

"Where exactly are you taking me? I have AP Art next and I have to be inside the classroom before everyone; Kurenai-sensei's orders." Naruto said, feeling the heavy stare following him and Kiba out to the courtyard.

"I know, I know. We just have a huge problem and don't know what to do. Lee just fainted and the Otogakure Sound team is going to kick our butts if we play without our best player. You're the replacement so get out there!" Kiba said, pushing Naruto onto a field filled with track runners and many courses.

"Uh … Kiba, I'm not a track star!" Naruto whimpered out as he walked confidently towards Lee and some of the guys, his shirt slowly being shed off his body. Kiba snickered and pushed him along, internally worried for his new friend.

Sasuke's eyes widened, his mouth popped open and he openly drooled at Kyuubi's body; he'd seen Kyuubi's body before and this has never happened to him. In all the years that he'd kept tabs on his rival—no matter how many times his elder brother called him a stalker—he'd never seen Kyuubi's body be anywhere near drool worthy. Sure he'd seen Kyuubi work out, but his body never got near the perfection it was now; almost overnight.

"Sasuke, this obsession of yours is unhealthy. I recommend a good night out in the city to cure your celibate induced insanity." Itachi whispered behind him, smirking when his brother just raised an eyebrow at him; oh how he missed the days when his younger brother was easy to scare.

"Oh, and your obsession with getting me laid isn't? You need to see a shrink for your incest problem aniki." Sasuke said with a roll of the eyes, walking away from the window out to the track. Itachi smirked and followed after him, escorting his younger brother to their psychology class.

Truth was Itachi found this obsession Sasuke had with the blonde very unhealthy and wrong. Ever since that day at the park, Sasuke had never been the same and Itachi couldn't find a way to snatch Sasuke away from this unhealthy insanity that was consuming his soul. He wasn't blind to his own insanity—the Uchiha clan was cursed with insanity—but what Sasuke was going through was unnatural.

It all began one day when Sasuke was seven, their insane great uncle Madara escaped the mental asylum he was imprisoned in almost his entire life. He snuck into their compound and murdered their parents sadistically in front of the young boy, finding pleasure in his horrified little face. Itachi was out with one of his friends, but the instant he entered his home, he knew something was wrong; he was forced to kill his uncle in front of Sasuke not knowing that he was there.

Ever since then, Sasuke had never been the same, and now this obsession was taking over his entire being and turning him into something that not even the most twisted of minds could conjure up. Itachi's calculating eyes swept over his brother as they settled down to their desk, both brothers doing their best to ignore the girls filled with hormones around them.

'_What is going through your mind otouto? Why can't you let me in?_' Itachi asked himself, his eyes drawn to the blonde out in the track, smiling and laughing with Kiba as they walked to class. Itachi's eyes widened a fraction; he'd know that smile anywhere.

"No … it can't be." Itachi whispered to himself, his voice only heard by himself in the commotion of their class.

Chapter End

Review please!

_**Author's Note:**_  
Don't worry, the next chapter will be up in … now.


	3. Chapter 3

_**Author's Note:**_  
Sorry for it taking so long to update; hiatus runs in the family.  
At least I'm somewhat making it up by updating soon after I already updated  
Smiles and reviews people; I don't own Naruto nor the characters.

Lullaby

Chapter 3

Naruto stretched himself over the soft grass, relaxing after a long day of school. He was surprised that he got through it with relative ease, elated even when he realized that tomorrow he'd have to do it all over again. He was waiting for Kiba and Sai to get through with track practice as he lazed on the field across the prestigious school.

He couldn't help but let his mind wander back to his first class of the day, back to those dark eyes that wouldn't leave his conscious mind. Was this something Kyuubi dealt with every day, or did Sasuke suspect anything?

The clouds lazily made their way across the sky, Naruto's blue eyes drawing hue from the very sky. Why did he feel like something was wrong there, like there was something he had to know?

"You know someone might think there's something wrong with you Kyuubi. You keep spacing out publicly and you'll cause mass chaos all over the city." An amused baritone said over Naruto's head to the right. He sat up quickly, his eyes losing their shine of carefree happiness and gaining a more bored and confident glare.

Naruto raised a perfectly manicured eyebrow, his eyes roving over the older Sasuke replica known as Itachi Uchiha. Kyuubi had also dedicated a page or two on the older Uchiha, but the information was scarce and Kyuubi was confident the illusive Uchiha would never talk to him; he was wrong.

"Itachi-sempai," Naruto said with a nod, his eyes never leaving the older Uchiha. "What brings an honored senior such as you here?"

Itachi raised an amused brow, walking closer to the blonde trying to throw him off his trail. Truth be told, he was almost successful, but Itachi knew who he was with a frightening certainty. He stared the blonde down with calculating eyes, his eyes appearing ancient to Naruto who was inwardly freaking out.

"Itachi-sempai?" Naruto asked, standing up and appearing confident. Itachi knew he was a nervous wreck, he just knew this imposter was freaking out under his ancient gaze.

"I noticed you from the parking lot. You haven't been this out of character since Shukaku left." Itachi said after a decidedly long silence; he wasn't going to uncover the blonde yet. He wanted to know what the blonde knew and how much he remembered.

"Is that so? Well not to worry Itachi-sempai, I am fine." Naruto said with a steely look; he was suspicious, but still wary.

'_How much do you remember … Naruto?_' Itachi mentally asked, smirking and nodding to the blonde. He confirmed his suspicion of the blonde; the way his eyes betrayed his emotions just slightly and the way his whisker marks were placed was confirmation enough.

"Very well Kyuubi, and please call me Itachi." Itachi said with a smile, patting Naruto's head with affection. His heart clenched with pain as he saw the happiness and relief flash within his blue eyes; this wasn't right.

"Fine … Itachi." Naruto said, unable to stop the dazzling smile from emerging for a second.

"Would you … Would you like a ride home? It's no trouble at all." Itachi said, surprising himself with the invitation. He couldn't help feel a twinge of happiness at the smile, watching it blossom and suddenly be squashed. He clenched his hands into fists to keep from reaching out to the blonde; he could see the suffering he'd been through and the conflicting feelings he was suffering with at the moment.

'_I'm sorry Naruto … I'm so sorry, you didn't have to suffer … never._' Itachi thought watching him nod silently and walk towards the parking lot. Naruto trembled on the inside, wanting desperately to stay and wait for his friends; he didn't know what was making him take Itachi up on his offer.

"Kyuubi!" Naruto released a breath he wasn't aware he was holding as he turned towards Sai and Kiba who were walking calmly towards him. Kiba stopped dead in his tracks as he registered Itachi walking with Naruto. "Kyuubi, I thought we were going to walk home together. I still need my biology notes from your house."

"That's right; I'm sorry Itachi, but I did have a prior engagement with Kiba." Naruto said calmly, inwardly dancing with relief; he couldn't put a finger on it, but he felt something was majorly wrong, he just didn't know where.

"That's quite alright Kyuubi. I'm sure I can give you a ride some other time. Till then, have a nice day." Itachi said softly, walking away from the blonde as Kiba and Sai ushered him away.

They walked silently for a while, their speed the only thing giving away their urgent need to speak with Naruto. Naruto walked bewildered, wondering what was wrong; by the way Kiba and Sai exchanged looks, something was definitely wrong.

They walked through the forest surrounding the school, finding their way to the path they all knew well. To Naruto, the whole world knew something was wrong, the silence killing him. The clouds converged, turning gray and ominous as the three boys made their way to a special clearing they meet at. The birds suddenly turned silent, too scared to make a single sound as the boys passed solemnly by.

"Naruto, what did you tell Itachi-sempai?" Sai suddenly asked sitting Naruto on the log he'd sat on Saturday. Naruto's eyes suddenly turned confused from their confident ennui.

"Nothing at all. He'd asked me what I was doing and to be careful before I cause the entire town to think an apocalypse was approaching, then he offered me a ride home. I didn't know what to do, so I accepted. What's wrong, why are you guys acting so strange?" Naruto asked, watching Kiba and Sai exchange looks once more.

"Its … Its nothing." Sai said at last, making the blonde raise a brow.

"That's one hell of a nothing. You both basically dragged me all the way here to tell me nothing? I don't think so." Naruto said, angered that they'd think he wouldn't understand. He might be blonde, but he was smart, and whatever the problem was, even if it was suspicion, he'd find a way to take care of it.

"Well … Kyuubi never really liked Itachi. He'd always say that there was something off about him." Sai finally relented, opening up to the blonde. "And Kyuubi wasn't the only one who'd noticed, we all did. Itachi would always just stare him down with a look of pain, as if there were something Kyuubi did that hurt him."

Naruto raised another brow, waiting for Sai to add to his explanation. "We … We always thought that he regretted … that he regretted that Kyuubi saved Sasuke, back when we were all ten. It's all so strange because he treasures his brother over everything, so to regret Kyuubi saving him is just … well wrong. And no matter how many times we told Kyuubi that, he couldn't shake that weird feeling … neither can we."

"Add to that the fact that Itachi doesn't speak to anyone, let alone offer anyone a ride; it's suspicious. Itachi isn't an idiot, when he looks at you, he sees YOU, as in your soul. If Itachi takes an interest in you, then he must know something, or he will eventually." Kiba added, pacing in front of Naruto.

Naruto's brow furrowed as he stared at the ground, the late January snow finally falling all around them. He knew there was something off about Itachi, but he didn't think it would be something bad. Somehow, he knew Itachi wasn't a threat; it was like he knew Itachi, and he knew Itachi wouldn't rat him out. Naruto looked up at the concerned faces of his only friends.

"I don't know guys, maybe he didn't notice." Naruto said at last, his tone so serious it almost made Kiba and Sai believe him. He didn't want to divulge with them his thoughts or his feelings of déjà vu; he just didn't feel safe telling them.

"Yeah, you might be right but … I can't shake this feeling that there is a dark sinister secret here." Sai said, patting Naruto's shoulder as thunder began to rumble.

Naruto left Kiba and Sai and walked home with a thoughtful expression. He couldn't help but meditate on Sai's last comment, the ominous comment ringing nonstop in his head: '_I can't shake this feeling that there is a dark sinister secret here._'

'_But there isn't … is there?_'Naruto asked himself, his feet carrying him slowly to his house. The forest was deathly silent, the sky darkening to almost pitch black. Thunder rumbled loudly overhead as Naruto contemplated the situation, a grim sort of smile appearing on his face as he realized that it was a perfect setting for his dark thoughts.

'_Why do I feel a strong sense of déjà vu?_' Thunder rumbled and lighting flashed; blue eyes looked up at the turbulent storm brewing. Naruto had stopped walking by now, his blue eyes evaluating and challenging the sky to do its worst; the sky accepted the challenge.

The rains held up by the clouds broke from their prison and rained on the earth, soaking the blonde in seconds. "What is going on here?!" Naruto yelled loudly, falling to his knees as the sky roared its answer.

"I just want to know what is happening." He whispered. He closed his eyes, letting the sky wash away his troubles as he wished for them to go away; it didn't work. He remembered his days in the orphanage, the piano that played each night with the phantom lullaby only he could hear. He opened his eyes as he hummed the melody, a smile appearing on his troubled face.

From his peripheral he could see a sleek black car as it rolled passed on the highway. '_Huh, the highway was so close._' Naruto thought as his eyes shot back up to the sky, the lightning catching him off guard.

The sky roared as a huge bolt of lightning struck a tree near him. Time slowed as his eyes registered what was happening. He could hear the screeching of tires on wet pavement from what sounded like millions of light years away, and true to the superstition, he could see his entire life flash through his eyes—including some he never knew he'd lived—as the tree fell on top of him.

Sasuke gasped in horror as he watched his obsession kneel in the middle of the hurricane like weather. He'd been to the town centre on an errand for Itachi and Obito—Tobi had ruined their laundry and they needed underwear—when the storm mysteriously hit. As he drove down the highway, he spotted a glowing golden light in the foliage; it was Kyuubi. He stepped on the brakes just as the large lightning bolt hit a tree near the blonde and all he could do was helplessly watch as the tree fell on top of his obsession.

Quickly before anything else could happen, Sasuke raced to the idiot lying under the tree; thankfully there was a large boulder that stopped the tree from crushing him.

"What the hell were you doing out in this maelstrom anyway dobe?!" Sasuke raved to the unconscious blonde as he knelt next to him and pulled him out from under the tree.

"Ngh … Sasu-chan." Sasuke palled to a sickly color as he heard the unconscious blonde mutter the name he hadn't heard in what felt like a lifetime. All he could do was kneel there with the blonde as the rain poured over them, immobile as a vague memory returned to him of a time when he really was happy.

All he could remember was a hand clasping his and the promise of love for the end of time: '_I promise Sasu-chan, I'll always protect and take care of you cuz ... I love you … for always an forever._' It was just a worthless promise given to him as a young child of around five, but to him it was the promise of life.

"_**FLASH,**_" Sasuke snapped out of it, his eyes adjusting to the lighting the dark clouds and lightning allowed and the form of the blonde in his lap.

"Who are you Kyuubi Namikaze?" Sasuke asked as another bolt of lightning threatened to fall near them. Slowly Sasuke stood up carrying the blonde with him with surprising strength he never knew he had. He placed the blonde gently into his mustang, smirking when he remembered that morning and how he drove passed him.

He smiled for the first time in what felt like an eternity as he observed the unconscious blonde, his forgotten vague memory coming back to his mind. "I'll protect and take care of you too," he said, unable to say the rest of the promise.

* * *

"_K-Kyuubi!" Naruto gasped, he knew that voice better than his own name; it was his voice. He opened his eyes, the glare of the sun blinding him for a minute before his eyes adjusted to the scene of two little blonde boys; one with blue eyes and the other with red._

"_Naruto? What's wrong?" Kyuubi asked, hugging the small boy close. Naruto stood still as the two boys huddled over something in a ditch. He couldn't move at all as the scene moved, dragging him closer to the two boys._

"_I don't know! I swear I just found em, I dun know what happened!" Naruto watched the child version of himself cry as they huddled over a dead dog. He felt tears roll down his face as the child's emotions washed over him like a tidal wave._

"_Well … let's go Naru, let's go before we get in trouble." Kyuubi murmured, looking up to older Naruto as if startled. Naruto's eyes widened, sure that Kyuubi could see him, but it wasn't him he'd seen._

"_Minato, Naruto!" Naruto turned towards Minato's voice, astonished that the man walked straight through him and yanked the boys apart. "What are you two doing? I've been calling you for ten minutes now."_

_Naruto watched as his child-self mumbled and sniffed while Kyuubi pushed him a little behind him. "We couldn't hear." He said with a small ounce of anger; he didn't like that name even as a child._

"_What are you hiding?" Minato asked with a raised brow, gently moving his sons out of the way to see just what had them occupied. Naruto watched as a look of horror and anger appeared on his face. "What did you do?!"_

"_We didn't do it, I swear! I just found em like that, I swear!" His child-self suddenly cried, throwing himself at Minato's arms. "Please daddy, believe me! I didn't do it!" Naruto gasped, his eyes widening as Minato nodded and held him close, opening his arms wide for Kyuubi too._

"_I know boys, I know. Come on, let's see who's dog this is." The boys nodded and Naruto numbly watched as the collar was taken off of the dog and Minato read the name tag. "Inari; belongs to Sasuke and Itachi Uchiha; 1826 Uchiwa drive"_

_Naruto's world began to swirl and fade, his vision of the boys and Minato fading with it. Suddenly a blazing light hit the black and he was suddenly standing in front of an intricate oak door, Minato beside him with his child-self and Kyuubi hiding behind his legs._

"_Hello, who are you?" Naruto looked down, bewildered to find a younger Sasuke and Itachi at the door, both with identical raised eyebrows. Minato was astonished also, but quickly recovered._

"_I'm sorry but … is there a Sasuke and or Itachi here?" Minato asked politely, watching the boys nod and point to each other. Naruto giggled, both he and his child-self._

"_I'm Sasuke, and he's my older brother Itachi. We aren't allowed to speak to strangers. My mother is in the grocery and our dad is—"_

"_Right here. Hello, my name is Fugaku Uchiha, how can I help you?" Naruto gasped as he looked at the father of the one who keeps watching him. He was tall and prominent looking, exuding the power and confidence of a successful man._

"_Hello, my name is Minato Namikaze and these are my sons Kyuubi and Naruto. We're here because we have some bad news to tell Itachi and Sasuke." Minato said with an apologetic look in his eye. Naruto watched his child-self bravely walk from behind his father and walk closer to Sasuke._

_To be true, Sasuke looked more … human as a child. Naruto admired Sasuke's large onyx eyes and the way the expressions light up his face; Sasuke was beautiful as a child._

"_I'm sorry but we found your dog in a ditch out in the forest behind our house. He's … he's gone." Naruto's heart broke as he watched his child-self and Sasuke slowly break down and cry into each other's arms. Sasuke hugged Naruto for dear life as Itachi pulled both of them into his arms tentatively, unsure of the young blonde but all for comforting his younger brother._

"_I'm sorry this had to happen, we just couldn't bear the thought of leaving the dog back there in the ditch without telling you all. My son, Naruto, he insisted we burry him and bring you the collar. If it bothers you, we can bring him here for you to bury him as you please, I just did it for my son's sake; he is very sensitive." Minato said, outstretching his arm to the silent man watching the young boys._

"_It's fine, I'm just glad you made it known to us. Would you like to come it? I know it would make Sasuke a little happier if your son stayed for a bit." Fugaku said as he motioned to Sasuke clutching Naruto and seeming to never want to let go._

_Just as the scene from before, the entire vision blurred and swirled, turning to black as another blast of light appeared. This time the bright light was filled with colors, seeming to converge and form a circular hallway. Naruto gasped, watching small rectangles fly by with scenes of his child-self and Sasuke, sometimes with Kyuubi, but mostly with Sasuke._

"_What are these?" Naruto said suddenly, turning to go back to where he came from, but startled to see that the hallway was outstretch to end at a large rectangle with a scene of a baby in Kushina's arms. He ran to the scene, unwilling to believe what his eyes were showing him._

"_No, it can't be! I can't be Kyuubi's twin brother; I can't be Kushina's and Minato's son! I was an orphan, no one wanted me! This can't be true!" Naruto yelled as he ran, his tears sliding down his face to disappear into nothing as he slowly got closer to his objective._

_Images and scenes flew by of him playing with Kyuubi, him eating his first bowl of ramen by himself, him walking, him crawling; an entire lifetime he didn't remember. He tried to close his eyes, tried to block out the happy faces of Kushina and Minato and Kyuubi, but they stayed open; it was like his subconscious was forcing him to remember something he couldn't have lived._

_As much as he tried, it was like he couldn't run fast enough. His tears were now rivers crashing down his face as the scenes flew forcefully into his vision. Not a single memory slide escaped his view and the closer he got to the one he wanted, the more he didn't want to believe._

"_No! This can't have happened! I won't believe it!" Naruto yelled, making his body move into overdrive as he finally reached the end. He crashed through the scene just as Kushina mouthed the words __**I Love You**__._

_Darkness filled his world now, and he couldn't stop the tears that fell like torrents. His head ached and pounded with the new memories filling his capacity; memories that he knew were real, but didn't want to believe. He sobbed loudly, trying to cry and breathe at the same time._

"_Why?! Why am I being tormented? It wasn't true, I knew it wasn't! I was born and raised in an orphanage!" Naruto yelled out to the darkness, sobbing and holding his head and chest in pain. He cried for the lost memories, cried for the lost loved ones; for the love he'd missed out on. As he cried, he realized that he never had any early memories of the orphanage._

_He was always told he was just a new born when he arrived at the orphanage, but he couldn't remember anything of his early years. He couldn't remember when he first crawled, when he first spoke, when he first walked, when he first dressed himself, when he first learned how to read and write; nothing. His first memory of the orphanage had been in fact, the day he met the evil mother superior who worked him to the bone._

_His sobs stopped and the river of tears ran dry as he realized; he wasn't born or grew up at the orphanage. Suddenly a new light began to emerge in the world of black, blinding Naruto and forcing him to close his eyes._

_Slowly sounds began to reach his ears; nurses, doctors, beeping, the voice of a man and the screams and huffs of a hysterical woman; Minato and Kushina. Naruto wrenched his eyes open, gasping as he found himself in a corner of an operating room. His eyes roved the room, finally landing on Kushina and Minato._

_Naruto's eyes watered again as he watched them—his parents—hang on to each other as he and his twin brother tried to make their way into the world with them. Kushina screamed and cried as she hung onto Minato who winced with her strength._

"_It's ok honey, you're doing fine. Just breathe and push." Minato whispered soothing words to her, trying to calm her down as the nurse and doctor ordered her to push._

"_Oh shut the fuck up Minato! You're not the one having to shit out two babies!" Kushina yelled, her red eyes turning steely as she glared up at him. Suddenly, she was hit with another contraction, her legs and arms spasming with the unbelievable pain. "Oh I'm going to kill you you son of a bitch! You did this to me!"_

"_I love you too Kushina," Minato said with a smile, laughing at her threats. He knew she loved him and she was excited to have his children, it was just the pain talking._

"_Push! The first one is coming!" The doctor suddenly said, gently working with the head of the first one. Naruto watched astonished as his mother worked to free either him or Kyuubi. He walked closer to her, his hand absently trying to wipe some of the sweat from her brow only to fail and fly through her._

"_That's right, I can't touch you … oh mom. I never … I never got to hug you, tell you I loved you; the chance was taken from me, ripped from my hands just as I got the strength to fight for it." Naruto murmured absentmindedly to her as she worked to free the first baby._

"_It's a boy!" A nurse said elatedly, wiping down the baby after the doctor smacked its butt to get it to breathe. Naruto cried tears of joy as he watched his mother grab for the baby with her own tears of joy._

"_Give him … Give him to me." She said as Minato took the baby from the nurse. "His name … his name," she smiled as she looked up at Minato and Naruto suddenly knew who was in her arms, "his name will be Minato Namikaze Junior."_

_Naruto smiled as he looked at his brother, surprised to see that he had some hair, but it was red. He looked up at his father as he chuckled at the clumps of red on his new son's head._

"_I don't know about that, he looks more like a Kyuubi than a Minato." Naruto gasped, so that was where Kyuubi's name came from; Minato wanted to name him Kyuubi, but Kushina named him Minato._

"_Like my cousin Kyuubi? … no, I like Minato." Kushina said obdurately and Naruto chuckled at her. If only she knew that that would be his name, then maybe she would save herself some pain and name him Kyuubi._

"_Here comes the next one … this one's a fighter!" The doctor's voice yelled just as Kushina clenched her teeth together and hurriedly pushed her first born into Minato's arms before she hurt him. Her belly convulsed and horrific cries of pain erupted from her fuchsia lips as she arched and more nurses rushed in to help keep her down._

_Naruto was struck suddenly with an unbelievable need to breathe and as much as he tried, he just couldn't get a breath in. his lungs filled and deflated with air, but Naruto's body didn't respond to it and suddenly realization hit him; he was feeling what his baby-self was feeling as he was being born. His entire being was filled with terror as he was being moved from the one world he knew and as Naruto watched the doctor get him out, he was amazed with himself._

_Just as suddenly as the attack on his breathing system started, it ended and suddenly he heard himself scream as the doctor smacked his butt and cut his umbilical cord. He felt the emotions of his baby-self so clearly that the moment he was in his mother's arms, he felt that safe and secure feeling of love and devotion just as a baby would._

"_Oh god Minato … his name will be … Naruto Uzumaki Namikaze." Kushina said with a smile, looking up at her husband for confirmation. He smiled and nodded, kissing his son as the nurses took him. Naruto smiled as the vision began to evaporate, leaving him in the hallway of memories with the memory flashing the scene all over again and his mother mouthing the words __**I Love You**__, as she had before._

_Naruto let go of a breath he had been holding in as he turned around, more memories of his early years coming to flash themselves in front of him. The first day he'd gone home; the first night he slept at home; the first time he fed from the bottle instead of his mom's tit; the first bath; his first laugh; his first time playing with Kyuubi; his first tickle; his first everything. Naruto smiled as he took his time to walk down the hallway, this time embracing the memories instead of denying them._

_He walked and observed, smiling and laughing as he watched himself grow. He was suddenly in front of the memory of the first time he met Sasuke again and he couldn't help but feel nostalgic._

"_Me and Sasuke were friends … we were … friends." Naruto said as a thought slowly began to break his clouded mind. "If he and I were friends … why can't he remember me?"_

_Suddenly Naruto felt distressed and afraid. He wanted to know what happened, what changed, why no one knew … no one even remembered him being born. Why had Kyuubi never remembered him? Why did his mother and father act like Kyuubi was their only born child? Why was his memory wiped clean of this? Why was he sent to an orphanage?_

"_What happened to me … to us?" Naruto suddenly yelled as the hallway began to dissolve until it was once again the memory of him telling Sasuke his dog was dead. "What's going on?!"_

* * *

Sasuke watched the blonde sleep attentively, not one detail missing his sharp eye from the slight wince to the pout he usually slept with. He'd brought Kyuubi home two hours ago, yet the blonde had yet to awaken.

Sasuke was captivated with his beauty, beauty that he'd never seen before on his rival. In fact, he was astonished that he'd even looked to begin with. Kyuubi had never raised any feeling in him other than competitive and annoyance, but today was different. Today Kyuubi made him feel interested, embarrassed, jealous, angry, compassionate, passionate, worried, fear, and worst yet … aroused. Kyuubi made him feel more now than he'd ever felt before, and when he murmured that name, he made him feel … protective.

"That name … that damn name! I thought I'd never be able to hear that damn name ever again." Sasuke growled out his eyes turning steely as he got up and paced around the couch the blonde was laid upon. "And worst yet, I don't know where the hell I heard it!"

"Sasuke, arguing with yourself is the first sign of insanity … insanity by celibacy." Itachi said behind him, amused that the spikey haired boy paid him no mind at all. He walked into the parlor, only to stop dead in his tracks at the sight of Kyuubi—or Naruto as he'd found out.

He was laid on the couch, covered in a mountain of sheets and covers, his clothes stripped off of him and hanging on ropes Sasuke fashioned in the room. "Sasuke … tell me you didn't actually fix your celibacy with N-Kyuubi of all people!" He said, glad that Sasuke had yet to pay any attention to him or his slip up.

Sasuke paced as Itachi settled himself down, watching him as he kept his eyes on the face of the blonde. Itachi sighed and stood back up, placing a hand on Sasuke's shoulder and forcing him to stop. Sasuke ripped his eyes from the blonde and looked at Itachi sharply, wondering what he wanted.

"Sasuke, he's asleep. Tell me what happened, I'm getting worried." Itachi said, finally admitting that he was getting worried. Sasuke looked slightly taken aback; Itachi never admitted that he worried, even though Sasuke knew he did.

"I was driving back from the town centre. As I got on the highway, a huge storm blindsided me and suddenly it was like a hurricane out there. As I passed by on the highway, I saw him in the woods Itachi; he was just kneeling there waiting for something. By the time I hit the brakes, a lightning bolt hit a tree behind him and fell on him. I think he got hit because when I got to him he was on the ground." Sasuke paused, unsure what he could say to his brother.

"The tree fell on the boulders he was knelt beside, so it didn't crush him, but he did get hit. He hasn't woken up since." Sasuke said, deciding to keep the murmuring of a name he felt familiar yet was unknown to him a secret. Itachi nodded, walking towards the phone as he left his brother to watch their guest.

"I'm going to call the Namikazes' and tell them that he's here. Don't worry, I'll tell them you had to do a last minute project together and he fell asleep." Itachi said as he left, leaving his brother with the mysterious blonde.

Sasuke sighed as he stared at Kyuubi again, once again asking the one question he could think to ask. "Who are you Kyuubi Namikaze?"

Chapter End

Review Please!


	4. Chapter 4

_**Author's Note:**_  
Hello, I hope I have at least a few readers.  
I'm working my best to keep the hiatus to a minimum, as said before: It runs in the family.  
Smiles and Reviews please! I don't own the characters; just borrow them for a while.

Lullaby

Chapter 4

"_Who are you Kyuubi Namikaze?" Naruto gasped, looking around the hall of all memories, trying to find where exactly the voice came from. He knew that was Sasuke, the Sasuke of today. He couldn't figure out how he knew, since he'd never really heard Sasuke speak. The voice was a rich velvet baritone that made him melt and feel like silk, he just knew it was Sasuke._

"_Sasuke? Sasuke where are you?" Naruto asked, running away from his early true memories on his quest to find Sasuke. His blood pumped with adrenaline, his eyes searching for the owner of that voice. Slowly a small sound filled Naruto's ears, the melody of the sound breaking his adrenaline filled being._

_Naruto gasped, remembering the sound, the melody and the song. "Peace be mine, in this sleeping time, dreams be sweet, my thee to sleep. Dark some night and shining moon, hearken to these words as I sing this tune. Forget the past, the pain at last. Rest your eyes, forget the ties. Heed this, the sweet sound of oblivion and bliss. Forever rests the past as you see anew at last …"_

_Naruto gained a new passion as he ran, trying to find the one scene that would finally bring the answers he needed. For years, he'd fallen asleep with the phantom lullaby, the words lulling him to sleep while he cried in the dank room they forced him into at the orphanage._

_Memories flashed before his eyes as he ran down the hallway, the hallway slowly starting to narrow and converge. Memories appeared, memories of him playing with Sasuke, of Kyuubi fighting for his attention with Sasuke, him choosing Sasuke, him helping Sasuke; him and Sasuke._

_Naruto stopped completely as the memories began to come off the walls and swirl all around him. There was a memory of him having a huge fight with Kyuubi over Sasuke, a memory of Sasuke fighting with Kyuubi over him, a memory of him crying in Itachi's arms over Sasuke; in all the memories he was with Sasuke._

_Sasuke, Sasuke, Sasuke; it was all about Sasuke. Sasuke at the beach, Sasuke and him building a tree house, Sasuke helping Kyuubi throw a party for him, Sasuke helping him care for his mom while she had a flu, Itachi helping him clean up Sasuke's room so he wouldn't get in trouble, Sasuke hugging him when he had a broken finger; Naruto's memories were filled with him._

"_How … how can this be possible? What's going on here?" Naruto asked, his sky blue eyes widening as slowly the memories rushed at him, each one fighting with the other to get Naruto to see the truth. The lullaby forgotten, Naruto embraced the memories, smiling as the emotions of each one washed over him. Love, sorrow, happiness, jealousy, embarrassment; all the emotions of each memory filled Naruto to the core, but one memory stood out from the rest. Naruto watched and examined the memory, like the memory of his birth it stood at the end of the long narrow hallway. It displayed a scene that both perplexed Naruto and frightened him with a strong sense of déjà vu._

_The scene was at a standstill unlike the one of his birth that played and replayed its memory. In the large screen there were two hands clenched together and Naruto knew they were his and Sasuke's. He remembered this one memory right down to the words that were said; it was an old dream. _

_He stood frozen as silent tears fell down his face, his eyes regarding the scene while his brain rejected it. This dream he'd dreamed for over ten years, a dream he would hold onto when times were tough, it was a distant memory? His knees buckled down, his body unwilling to hold him up as flashes of the memories he was forced to grow up with came to his mind._

_He was suddenly lifted and placed in a dark dungeon like room, pipes dripping and rats running; it was the room he slept in at the orphanage. He stood up once more, his tears no more as his eyes wandered the familiar room. There were small, vague differences in the room, differences that he'd made in it while he lived in it; it was the room before he arrived. He walked around the dank room, his fingers running over the broken pipes sticking out of the walls; the same pipes that caused his scars._

_He grimaced, one of his hands rushing up to his face to rub at his scars. His hand on the wall clenched into a tight fist, his teeth catching his lip and biting it until blood flowed freely. '__**I could have saved myself these scars if it wasn't for that damn incident—whatever the hell it was!**__' Naruto thought, grimacing in anger as his fist pounded the wall._

_He heard a soft cry come from the darkness, making him stop and look around in bewilderment. He looked all over, the small steps he took in the cramped room sounding like crashing thunder to him. He walked to the bed he knew was at the end of the room, his eyes running over the small always-wet mattress welled to the floor under a broken dripping pipe, looking for the small shivering form he knew would have to be there._

"_W-Why … why can't I remember?" he heard a voice whimper out from the darkness of the corner on the opposite wall from the bed. Naruto turned towards the corner, the pitch black shadow hiding the small boy he knew was there. The whimpers he could hear from the corner intensified and grew louder as he walked over; crouching next to his child-self once he reached the corner._

_Naruto's angered gaze softened once his eyes adjusted to the pitch black shadows covering them. His child-self huddled into himself, shivering from the cold of the dank dungeon like room. The child sobbed once, freezing when he heard his door being banged into._

"_What's the matter twerp? Forgot the rules too?! No noises after lights out! First you sit there and ask a stupid question about getting a blanket, and now you're making noises?" A harsh voice said outside his iron door, making the blonde child whimper and hug himself tighter._

"_Why? Why can't I remember anything?" the child asked himself, huddling closer to the corner as the wind picked up outside and filled the room with cold. Naruto's eyes turned steely as he watched the child beat himself up for something he had no control over. How was the child supposed to know any of the rules, if he never stepped foot inside that place before?_

_The child rose, surprising Naruto as he walked to the window. "I … I dun know who you are, Sasu-chan, but a promise is a promise. I'll find a way to protect an take care of you … an even though I dun know you, I'll love you for always an forever, just like I says." The child said softly, looking up towards the moon as he sent his love and prayer to a person he'd never know._

_Naruto cursed, his head hitting the wall behind him hard as he too looked up at the large moon. A large bitter sweet smile slipped onto his face as he and the child heard the lullaby at the same time, both uttering the words to the song in sync._

_And just like the other memories, this one began to dissolve away just as he was finishing the lullaby. He couldn't help but raise a hand towards his child-self as he vanished in a foggy black mist. He was once again in the hall of all memories, the last few memories flying around him in a tornado of memory as he stood in front of the frozen memory of a dream._

"_I … I want to know." Naruto uttered in an emotionless voice, watching as the tornado paused and evaporated, letting him through to the memory that would change his life. "I want to know."_

* * *

Sasuke's eyes lingered on Kyuubi, the incident in the forest replaying itself slowly over and over in his mind. His mind plagued him with questions with answers he just couldn't find. Many a night he'd dream about that simple memory and the promise that meant the world to him.

"Why … why can't I remember?" Sasuke growled, pushing his hands to his head to stop the head ache. He couldn't shake the feeling that there was something terribly wrong with him, with Kyuubi; with the world. Why was he struck with this terrible sensation of déjà vu? Why was he so paranoid and obsessed with Kyuubi of all people?

"What is going on here?" Sasuke whispered, falling to his knees next to the blonde in question. The ache in his head rose to higher levels as he regarded him, trying to crack the puzzle that was Kyuubi Namikaze.

'_I'm sorry but we found your dog in a ditch out in the forest behind our house. He's … he's gone._' Sasuke gasped, the small vision in his mind fading as his head was assaulted. He struggled to keep the vision within his grasp, the small illusion of a small Kyuubi hugging and comforting him bringing more pain than he was able to cope.

'_I'm sorry this had to happen, we just couldn't bear the thought of leaving the dog back there in the ditch without telling you all. My son, Naruto, he insisted we burry him and bring you the collar. If it bothers you, we can bring him here for you to bury him as you please, I just did it for my son's sake; he is very sensitive._' Sasuke gasped once more as the vision at last grew to show him the Mayor, Minato, and another blonde boy—an exact replica of Kyuubi. He was sure Minato meant that one of the boys was Naruto, and that he was the one hugging him and Itachi.

"N-Naruto." Sasuke tried the name, finding familiarity and comfort as well as a barrage of other emotions. The blonde on the couch next to him moved and responded to the name on Sasuke's lips, his brow furrowing and a soft whimper escaping his lips. Sasuke breathed deeply, the pain finally proving itself too intense for Sasuke.

As Sasuke let go of the illusion, he could feel the emotions it brought with it slowly fading away, just like the blonde's—Naruto's face from his memory. He hadn't noticed his eyes were clenched shut and he was doubled over in pain until he felt hands pulling on his shoulder, ripping him away from the last shred of the illusion and Naruto's teary eyed smile.

"Sasuke, Sasuke, Sasuke! Tobi has been trying to get you to react! What the hell is wrong with you?" Sasuke looked at Obito and Tobi with a faraway look, his ears ringing with a faraway melody he remembered from his childhood.

"I … I don't know." Sasuke said, walking away from his cousin to slump himself into a chair opposite the couch the blonde—Naruto was sleeping on. Obito and Tobi both shared a look, both worried for their cousin's sanity.

"Sasuke … are you okay? Is this … is this another one of your obsession things? Do we need to lock you up in the attic while Kyuubi is here?" Tobi asked worriedly, shifting in his spot in a nervous jitter. Sasuke sighed and rubbed his aching temples, shaking his head softly. It wouldn't do to get his cousins worried, especially since he was being threatened by Itachi to not make Tobi speak in third persons, a nervous trait he developed at a young age.

"No, nothing is wrong I just have another head ache from studying again. We have Chunnin exams coming up and I have other exams to study for. Did Itachi send you both?" Sasuke asked with a sigh once more, throwing his head back as one of his hands began to massage his neck. Tobi and Obito both stood awkwardly, not really believing Sasuke, but nodding none the less.

"No, he's gone. We saw him leave the compound and mom wanted us to come over and keep you company; the weather is crazy! It's like a hurricane out there." Obito uttered with slight enthusiasm, watching Sasuke sit upright and bolt to the window.

"He's gone? You're sure of this?" Sasuke asked, his onyx eyes showing some worry as he walked from one window to another. The winds had picked up and the sky looked worse than when he was out there saving … saving the blonde currently unconscious on his couch.

"Yeah, why?" Obito asked, walking over to Sasuke as he stood impatiently at the door.

"Because … I'm worried for him. He wasn't supposed to go anywhere and I'm worried." Sasuke said at last, surprising his cousin by launching himself into the wall of water falling from the sky. He was nothing more than a voice now as Tobi and Obito tried to peer into the white of the rain.

"Take care of Kyuubi, tell him he got hit with a tree if he wakes!" Sasuke yelled as he jumped into a jeep, his mustang too far away for him to go and fetch. Tobi and Obito both nodded, simultaneously turning to see the blonde laying on the couch.

* * *

_Naruto walked into the memory, closing his eyes as he passed through the paused memory. As he opened his eyes, he walked through the fog of black, slowly a dim light appearing before him as he walked towards it. Feelings of love and fear assaulted his being, bringing a strange clench to his heart as his vision began to clear of the fog._

"_S-Sasuke … please, don't go!" He could hear his child-self in the fog, sobbing and hiccupping. Slowly his walk turned into a jog as the picture came into focus, his small child-self clutching the hand of a child Sasuke. There was a pained look in Sasuke's face as he tugged halfheartedly on his hand._

"_I have to go Naruto. You saw … you saw how that man … k-killed that boy. My mom and dad aren't safe." Sasuke said as both his and the small blonde's knees gave out under their weight. They knelt together, both hiccupping silently while the wind in the garden played softly with their hair._

"_But Sasuke … this isn't like the games! You could get hurt or die like …. Like Inari an that boy." Child Naruto mumbled, making his older self walk closer to the two children. Sasuke stayed silent for a long time, his bangs covering his eyes. How could this child have such a great feeling of responsibility?_

"_I haves to Naruto. Itachi-nii isn't here an that man … he killed that boy! He's inside my house with my mom an dad, I haves to go." Sasuke said, gently pulling on his hand as the blonde kneeling next to him whimpered in fear._

"_Then I haves to go with you." Naruto gasped, watching the determination in his own eyes as Sasuke tried to push him back down to the ground. Sasuke shook his head, placing his hand in the small blonde's hand. Naruto's eyes narrowed, this scene seeming like it was too familiar._

"_You can't go Naru-chan … I can't let you get killed, I … I'll die if you do." Sasuke whispered, stiffening when the small blonde smiled and clenched his hand clasped in his._

"_I promise Sasu-chan, I'll always protect and take care of you cuz ... I love you … for always an forever." Naruto watched as they both smiled and held hands, a small moan startling them into turning towards the boy they thought was dead. Slowly they walked towards the back of the large jungle like garden, towards the back gates where they had witnessed the man with the long black hair stab a small red haired boy._

"_What the hell is going on?" Naruto murmured, walking towards the bleeding heap on the ground the two boys were surrounding. He gasped once he saw the little red haired boy on the ground. His eyes were large spindrift gems that sparkled with unshed tears, his skin was a pale peach and his eyebrows were nonexistent. The kid looked like a red haired Shukaku with spindrift eyes._

_He coughed up blood, his throat was slit but he had managed to stay alive. His younger child-self knelt down next to the small redhead, cradling his head as they heard a scream come from inside Sasuke's house. Sasuke jumped back, looking indecisive as his eyes jumped from Naruto and his home._

"_Go Sasu-chan, I'll take care of this boy then go find an help you." The small blonde said, grabbing Sasuke's hand with a small smile. Sasuke nodded, turning towards his home before turning to fall on his knees next to the blonde._

"_I … Naru-chan, I dun know if I'll see you again so …" Sasuke brought his face closer to the small blonde, slowly leaving a soft kiss on the blushing blonde cheek before standing up and running off into the large house. Naruto watched wide eyed, his hand subconsciously rubbing his left cheek as the small raven haired boy kissed his child-self._

_Both the blondes' attention was suddenly thrust upon the red haired child as he coughed and spluttered up more blood. The child silently let tears run down his face as he stared up at the blonde whose lap he was laying on._

"_T-Tell S-Shu-k-kaku n-niisan that I-I loves him." The redhead spluttered out, accidentally splashing the blonde with blood. The child-Naruto silently cried too, his tears dripping on the blood stained cheeks of the redhead in his lap._

"_Don't worry, I'll tell him that you love him." The child muttered, smiling sadly at the boy in his lap. The redhead smiled up at him, weakly raising his hand up to touch the blonde's cheek. Naruto himself couldn't help the tears as they fell down his face; he couldn't help but cry for this boy._

"_Y-you a-are beau-beautifuls-s-s … a-are y-you th-the a-angel th-ats going t-to take m-me t-to hea-heaven?" The boy deliriated, his eyes slowly losing their shine as his body began to get noticeably colder in his arms._

"_No … I'm Naruto. What's your name?" The small blonde decided to ask. Naruto smiled at himself; he was smart as a child. As long as the boy kept talking, then he would keep his blood pumping and keep warm. The redhead smiled at him, his voice was getting hoarse, but he kept talking._

"_G-Gaara … m-my n-naaame i-is Gaara." He said in a softer voice. His voice was getting worse, and Naruto was sure he was going to die. He watched his child-self try to make him better, but he knew better than that._

_Suddenly, the gate was thrown open and Itachi ran in, looking everywhere with wide panic filled eyes. Once his eyes landed on the blonde and the redhead, he bolted towards them, yelling behind him for help. He skidded to a stop in front of the blonde, trying to assess the damage._

"_Naruto, where is Sasuke?" He asked with a strangely calm voice. The child just looked up at him for a minute, not yet registering what was happening. "Please Naruto, where is he?"_

_The child snapped out of it once he heard the panic in Itachi's voice. "He ran inside to help his mommy an daddy. Itachi, this guy just ran in here and tried to kill this boy. Sasuke thought he was goin to go inside to kill Auntie an Uncle, so he went in!" the small blonde said at once, watching as some servants pulled the redhead from his arms and tried to treat his wounds. Itachi sighed in dismay, closing his eyes._

"_It's worse than I feared. Damn." Itachi said softly, standing perfectly straight as the blonde child looked up at him with tear filled eyes. Naruto stared at the scene, not wanting to believe that this was what Creepy Itachi used to be._

"_It can't be true … This guy, he has feelings, he isn't awkward and he feels something. Itachi … Itachi is nothing like this." Naruto murmured, turning when Itachi suddenly began to stride off towards the house behind them._

"_You stay here with the servants Naruto; don't come no matter what you hear … it would be too much." Itachi said silently, walking with purpose towards another set of back doors hidden behind huge leaves. Both future and child blondes ran after him, trying to figure out what was happening. Naruto watched as his child-self ran to the other side of the house instead of the doors Itachi went through._

_Naruto followed after his child-self, watching as he jumped into an open window ninja style, jumping onto a tree and swinging himself into it, landing on the window sill with finesse. Naruto raised an eyebrow as he tried it himself, smirking when he made it with much more grace; all those years of escaping his dungeon in the orphanage were actually paying off. He followed the child, his eyes roving the light blue room._

"_This must be Sasuke's room." Naruto muttered, smiling at all the pictures covering the room of him and Sasuke anywhere and everywhere. There were some of Kyuubi and him, but most were of him and Sasuke. His child-self ran straight out of the toy land that was Sasuke's room, rounding the corner and heading to a dead end. Naruto followed, watching as the small blonde began to pull on the large air duct on the wall. The vent fell off, revealing a small rectangle big enough to fit even Itachi._

_His child-self did not hesitate as he entered the air duct, pulling it up behind himself. Naruto raised his eyebrow again, walking over and placing his hand on the vent. As he thought, his hand passed right through it. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes as he knelt and crawled through, gasping when he opened his eyes to find a small hide out, his child self already crawling into another part of the vent. He followed after his miniature, his ears straining to pick up the sounds from the end of the vent where his child self froze and stared out the other vent._

"_You thought you could get rid of me that easily Fufu-Chaaaan?" Naruto froze as he heard the voice, vague memories of huddling in his dark corner in the dank dungeon like room at the orphanage while that voice would laugh and taunt him from the iron door flooding his mind. He knew that voice, and he was certain that he knew the man who owned the voice._

_He crawled slowly towards his child self, sighing when the vent provided no more space for him to look through. He could hear taunting laughter, panicked whispers and a harsh slap; he needed to see this. He stared at himself for a while, his eyes calculating an idea that might just work. Naruto tentatively let one of his hands land on his child-self's shoulder, watching as it passed through the child and straight to the vent on the other side of him._

"_If … If I pass through m-er … myself … I might be able to get into the room and see what's going on." Naruto murmured to himself, nodding as if he were taking advice from someone else. He steeled himself, taking a deep breath and crawling through his child self. There was a small resistance, the small tangible wall giving way after a few seconds of pushing and abruptly Naruto's vision faded, only to come back to him a little fuzzy. Naruto gasped, noticing that while he knew he was in his own body, he couldn't move nor speak, only think._

"_Piss off Madara!" Naruto's attention was snapped towards the scene through the vents, vaguely noticing that his eyes were already on the scene. He could see Sasuke's mom and dad—Mikoto and Fugaku as he learned—kneeling at the feet of the one he knew was there: Madara Uchiha, or as Naruto knew him as, Danzo._

"_Aw, but Fufu-Chan, I've finally come back! Aren't you happy? After fifty years in that accursed asylum, I've finally come back!" Madara said with a psychotic smile, his onyx eyes the only thing giving away the anger and hatred boiling inside him. Naruto stared at the monster that terrorized him for more than his entire life, his long raven hair, his flawless youthful skin, his muscular body; this was the monster under his bed. For years he hid himself in darkness, praying that he wouldn't find him, praying that he wouldn't hurt him again. Naruto wanted to burst into the room and kick his ass, but the body he was in had other plans._

_He could feel the fear and curiosity in his body, the fear that rooted him to his spot and the curiosity that maintained his eyes trained on the eldest Uchiha. Suddenly a thought occurred to both himself and his body: where was Sasuke?_

"_Don't call me that you miserable fuck!" Fugaku snarled, his glowering eyes almost turning red. In fact, they seemed to turn and swirl, almost hypnotizing. "You know good and well why you were thrown into that damn asylum! You couldn't control yourself!"_

_Madara laughed, walking towards the large bed and throwing himself on it, the red and black silk sheets seeming to try to worship his body. Naruto's eyes were drawn to the small movement underneath, inwardly gasping as he saw the shadowy outline of Sasuke curled up and ready to attack if needed to. There was a loud chuckle as Madara seemed to make direct eye contact with him before turning his eyes down at the bed._

"_Well aren't you a piece of shit. How many more are out there?!" Madara suddenly roared, standing up abruptly and pulling on Fugaku's silky short locks, glaring into the spinning eyes, his own spinning rapidly and turning into a star. Fugaku gasped, pushing back and panting with an awestricken look in his eyes._

"_W-What do you mean?" Fugaku gasped out, turning towards his wife and her tear stained face. Madara chuckled suddenly and walked towards her, pulling her head back using her hair. Mikoto whimpered in pain, clenching both her eyes and teeth shut as Madara breathed onto her face._

"_Come now Fufu-Chan, you really don't think I've forgotten just who ratted me out to the police? I know it was you, you worthless piece of shit, and now you intend to train your own young to do the same? I think not!" Madara snarled, kicking the giant bed out of the way to reveal Sasuke huddled next to the wall, horror etched onto his face. Naruto could feel a powerful clench within his chest, horror building within his body._

"_Well now, who are you?" Madara asked with an appalling sort of cheer as he pulled Sasuke out by his hair. Sasuke glared and struggled, clawing at Madara's hold on his hair as he seethed in his place. Madara chuckled, throwing Sasuke suddenly against the wall and watching him slump down to the floor, blood running down from his hair as a concealed wound began to bleed._

"_Sasuke!" Both Fugaku and Mikoto yelled in horror, struggling against their restraints to try to get to their son. Madara laughed as he watched them struggle, walking over to the limp boy and raising his chin; he was still conscious._

"_Well Fufu-Chan, he's a little older than you when you ratted me out, but he'll do as an example. You have to suffer, and this little _Sasuke _of yours is the perfect way to teach you a lesson and make you suffer at the same time." Madara said, watching as Sasuke moaned in pain and tears ran freely down his angel like face. Naruto gritted his teeth, his body trying to fight against the building sobs and tears waiting to be released like a tidal wave._

"_N-No, please! We'll do anything, just don't hurt him!" Mikoto's melodic voice rang out for the first time, startling even Madara into looking at her direction. The monster smirked towards her. Dropping the pain filled child as he walked towards her. Just as Madara opened his mouth, they heard police sirens in the distance, making everyone, even Naruto freeze in fear and horror._

_Madara growled, walking over to her and smacking her so hard she flew a few feet away, landing on her side and stifling a moan of pain. Fugaku roared, breaking free of the ropes as Madara prepared himself to kick her._

"_You son of a bitch! I trusted you and you kill my mother, my father, my brother! Now you're back and you want to take my family?! I don't think so!" Fugaku roared, using all the muscles in his bulging bear like body to throw his great uncle against the wall, watching as the wall partially crumbled and left a giant crack when Madara slumped down. Suddenly Madara was laughing, looking up at his great nephew with beyond psychotic eyes._

"_Oh sweet little nephew, I can't die. No matter how hard you try, I can't die. And I'll be back again and again until I rid this world of your essence except for me." Madara said nefariously, trying to make a grab at Sasuke only to be thwarted by Mikoto. Mikoto whimpered in pain when Madara grabbed her arm and yanked her away, successfully breaking her arm._

_Fugaku roared once more, his eyes turning pure red as he charged madly towards Madara. Time slowed and seemed to stop as Fugaku froze on his raging path to Madara, Madara seeming to stop him by placing his palm on his chest, but that wasn't the case._

_Naruto could see that there was a small glinting point sticking out of Fugaku's back, some blood oozing out and staining the cherry oak floor. Sasuke sat kneeling right in front, his eyes taking in the blood that ran from his father's chest to the floor. He could see Madara slowly pull out the blade and grin at the horrified expression etched on Fugaku's face._

"_Awe … Fufu-Chan, you were always my favorite, especially with that taunt ass of yours … your fear was always … delicious." Madara whispered as he took the dying Fugaku in his arms and licked the side of his face. Suddenly reality crashed and Mikoto screamed in horror, watching her husband land on the floor dead and her son stare stoically at the corpse._

_Naruto could feel his body whimpering, and even though he fought as hard as he could, his mind couldn't get his body to move. Suddenly the terrified screams were cut short as Madara sifted in next to her and cut her throat, grinning wildly with the blood splattering his face. Sasuke hollowly stared at the events happening around him, his hollow eyes devoid of any emotion as he watched his mother and father's blood form a lake in the middle of the hard wood cherry oak floor._

_Naruto could feel panic entering his system, making him pray that his past child-self didn't scream or reveal his position in the past. The door was kicked open as soon as Naruto closed his eyes, and there stood Itachi, horror etched into his face, the pain mixing in with the horror was beyond anything any man could ever feel._

"_Ah, so the other one appears. Well? Come on in, don't be shy. You know, when your father was a boy not much younger than Sasuke, I used to play with him every day. Maybe we can do the same." Madara said with a laugh, closing his eyes as he bellowed it out._

_Itachi snapped his eyes away from his dead parents; he couldn't let that man do the same to Sasuke, whatever it was he did with their father. He ran up to Madara, flipping him and aiming a well-placed kick to his chest._

_Madara lay stunned, not expecting Itachi to pull a ninja move on him and land a blow to his rib cage. He coughed roughly, raising a hand to his mouth and coming away with blood. He stared bewildered at his great-grandnephew, stunned that the young boy would have the power in him to actually harm him. Suddenly there was no real reason to laugh, and Madara looked serious._

_He rose to his feet, a glower in place of the arrogant amusement. "You damned brat! I was planning on just letting you live as my _special_ slave, but now I'll just be content with the little one. Today, you die like your miserable father!" Madara roared, sifting behind Itachi to kick him in the small of his back._

_Itachi dodged in time, turning and catching Madara off guard with another well-placed kick to the ribs, smirking when a cracking sound suddenly resounded in the room. Before anyone could see, Madara sifted again and this time successfully kicked Itachi straight into the air duct._

_Naruto gasped as he was suddenly flung back and Itachi landed on his small body, crushing him and making him gasp for air. Itachi laid there for a few seconds, coughing and spluttering before he realized he landed on someone. He turned bewildered eyes towards the blonde as Naruto clutched him and began to fret over him._

"_Itachi! Are you okay, are you hurt? Are you dying? Who is Madara? Are … are they really dead?" Naruto asked, wondering where the order for his mouth to move came from, but Itachi stared at him with fear and horror, holding onto the blonde in a fierce hug that spoke volumes._

"_I'm f-fine Naruto. But you won't be. Find Sasuke and leave … run away, find the police, hide; anything. You have to ru—ahhh!" Naruto gasped and scrambled back, unsure of what to do. Suddenly one of his legs was grasped and he was thrown into the room, landing next to a bleeding, panting Itachi._

"_Well, well, well. This family sure does love surprises. Who the hell is this?" Madara asked, his cold eyes roving over the small blonde boy. Naruto gulped, not liking the look at all. The look Madara was throwing him was of hunger, a predator finally finding food after weeks of starvation._

"_L-leave him alone!" Sasuke finally snapped out of his trance upon seeing Naruto being thrown across the room. Madara smirked and crossed his arms, raising an eyebrow as he stared at the look Sasuke threw at Naruto._

"_Oh? Or what little boy? Are you going to beat me up if I touch your girlfriend?" Madara asked with a maniacal laugh, mirth entering his eyes. Suddenly the sirens sounded louder this time, as if they were only around the corner. Madara cursed, kicking Sasuke away from Naruto as he knelt down._

"_Well, sorry kiddies, but I have to leave. And just so you _both_ won't rat me out like your no good father, I'm going to take this one." Madara murmured, throwing a glowering look at the brothers as they coughed up blood and huddled together._

_Naruto's eyes widened, suddenly being held by Madara's spinning red eyes as he began to chant: "Peace be mine, in this sleeping time, dreams be sweet, my thee to sleep. Dark some night and shining moon, hearken to these words as I sing this tune. Forget the past, the pain at last. Rest your eyes, forget the ties. Heed this, the sweet sound of oblivion and bliss. Forever rests the past as you see anew at last …"_

"_No, Naruto!" was the last he heard as his vision went black, the world spinning and slamming him back into the hall of all memories, standing in front of the only frozen scene once again._

"_What …" Naruto stood speechless, his eyes wide with realization as the hall began to crumble and give way, as if suddenly a black hole appeared within the hall and was sucking up everything._

* * *

"NO!" Naruto yelled, suddenly sitting up and startling the twins staring at him from the doorway. Naruto looked around, finding that he was back in the real world in a place he'd never been in before, but knew too well; the Uchiha summer mansion. He turned fretful eyes towards the gasps, his eyes widening when he was met with a pair of twins, a pair of twins with a startling resemblance to Madara Uchiha.

"W-where the hell am I?" Naruto said stoically, internally amazed that he'd managed to keep a Kyuubi-quality cool to his voice instead of the panicked one he knew he felt.

"Y-you're in the Uchiha summer mansion. Sasuke brought you here when he saw you get hit by a tree in the storm. It's a miracle you're even alive after that hit." One of the boys said, smiling and lifting a hand towards him. "Hi, I'm Tobi and this is Obito. We're both fourteen. Who are you?"

Naruto raised an eyebrow; of course they knew who he was, but then again it was only common courtesy to ask. "I'm Kyuubi Namikaze … and I'm sixteen." The twins nodded and grinned, making Naruto want to smile, but he held it in.

"Where is Sasuke?" Naruto abruptly asked, making the twins raise an eyebrow.

"He left to go find Itachi. He said that he wouldn't be long and to tell you what happened. Can you explain to us why everyone is off rescuing everyone else?" Obito asked with a raised eyebrow, watching as Naruto whipped his head towards the wall of still falling rain that kept him from seeing anything.

"Are you sure?" Naruto asked, wishing them to be kidding and say he went to shower. He thought he had an idea as to where Itachi might have gone, and if he was right, then he'd better get going.

"Yeah—hey! Where are you going?" Obito yelled as once again he was left talking. Naruto threw himself into the rain, running as fast as he could to a place he felt he never visited, but knew just where to find; the original Uchiha manor.

"Please be safe, please don't do anything stupid. I know now, I know everything." Naruto murmured to himself, straining to see the path in front of him.

End Chapter

Review Please!

_**Author's Note:**_  
I'll try to update every Friday from now on so … I hope I make it!  
To any reader looking forward to this, review to help me muster up the courage to update quickly!  
Also, I know it looks like it's going fast, but it really isn't. I don't plan to get Sasuke and Naruto into a lemon until around the 7th or 8th chapter, so I hope you all can wait till then! (Maybe 10th)

If you're interested in making a cover for this, go ahead. I've been asked for permission and I find it exciting to get actual ARTISTS (not me and my sloppy stick figures) to draw one!  
Also update for my cousin's readers: I lost her for a while, but I've got her now and she promises to update every two weeks….College sounds hard, but don't worry. Unlike her, I'm still in high school.

_Au Revoir! Examiner s'il vous plait!_

_Adios! Revise por favor!_

_Bye! Review please!_


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